Mistakes to Be Made
by Brandidy
Summary: Rachel meets Finn at a bar one night and after the two hit it off, they end up back at his house. But, what comes after is a series of events that either drive them closer, or twice as far apart. Will they ever be able to realize their feelings and stay together, or will they keep fighting it? Rated M for some smut. (Puck and Quinn and many other glee members) Finchel
1. Chapter 1-How We Met

**AN: So, I began writing this a few weeks ago, and then the Glee finale happened and I got even more into finishing this story, and I just finished this morning. It'll be about 15 chapters, and since this is the first time that I have finished a story that more than just a few thousand words, I'm actually really excited. Hopefully, I'll put up a chapter a day for you guys. Let me know what you think, or if you just want to talk about Glee at all, that'd also be fine! Enjoy.**

She loved the vibrations that thundered like bass through her as she messily wound her tiny fingers through his hair. Each caress directed her buzzing body into an even more vigorous high, allowing each exhale to noisily escape her swollen lips without her knowledge.

Everything was in Technicolor. His large hands that seemed to out size her own 3 to 1 were pressed firmly into her lower back, killing her slowly with subtle yet deadly movements that had her more than just a little frustrated. She felt as if the sun was sweltering in her chest as he leaned her back and expanded their already ravenous kiss.

If you'd have told her two hours ago that she'd be making out with some guy she met at some hole in the wall bar on a Friday night, she'd have performed one of her rather dramatic speeches about loyalty and the effects of lying, perhaps ending the rant with one of her signature storm outs, leaving you in a disarray of epic proportions.

Yet, here she was. Sucking face with a hot man who surprisingly- albeit incredibly welcomed- was kinder and more willing to give her his attention than any man she's met in the last few months since she moved to New York. Possibly her entire life. Not only had he just listened to her for almost an entire hour as she went on and on about her troubles, but he also chipped in very sweet comments that, over time, wore her down.

"_I really just strive to get my career underway. I don't see why this has become such an extraordinarily difficult position to take up in my new found life style, but it seems that New York is a much more challenging city to take control of than I was previously led to believe." She looked up at the man sitting, well slouching, in the chair beside her. His brown eyes showed his confusion._

_He opened his mouth for an extended amount of time, and she was beginning to start a new sentence, when he finally spoke. "I think you can do it. I'll bet people are going to have pictures of you around their homes in no time." She sat up a little more then, cautious of where this was going. Her hand sliding towards her otherwise abandoned purse as she watched him with vigilant eyes. "I mean, like, in magazines and stuff." He added and she sagged in relief._

"_Well, thank you very much, but I'm not so sure anymore." She told him, taking a sip of her water. "Maybe I'm just not cut out for Broadway."_

_She startled when she felt the sudden touch of his hand beneath her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his own. "Don't give up on your dreams. They're awesome." He told her, and Rachel felt the flutter in her stomach for the first time in a year. _

"_And why are they awesome?" She inquired, trying to fight the urge to jump him. That wasn't who she was, but right now, it was who she really wanted to be. _

"_They're awesome because they're yours…" More butterflies. She scooted to the edge of her seat, wanting to be closer to him. "And you're pretty awesome." He added with an Earth shattering half grin that she was positive that she would have been head over heels for in High School. Hell, she was head over heels for it _**now.**

"_Ahem." _

_The two separated quickly, each one turning back in their seat to look at the bartender who was currently watching them with knowing eyes. _

"_I don't want to break up this incredibly uncomfortable moment, but we're closing in about three minutes." Grabbing up their glasses, he started cleaning off the counter._

_She nodded, glancing at the guy beside her before reaching for her purse again, this time to find the money she needed to pay for her drinks._

_He sighed to himself, going for his own wallet. Well, this was unexpected. He had known her for maybe an hour and for almost all of it, she had been constantly talking without letting him respond, which was kind of annoying. But, even then, it was also sort of cute. She was super intense and stuff, almost coming close to crying when the bartender had told her that they didn't sell her favorite wine, but the way she bit her lip when she talked about something he could tell she was totally passionate about was really hot and left him at the edge of his seat._

_He wasn't really "smooth", and anyone from his home town could tell you that right away, so for him to be throwing out these weirdly romantic lines made him realize that he kind of liked this girl, even with her craziness._

_Plus, she was wearing a low cut shirt which was definitely cool too._

_He caught himself looking over at her, watching her go through the jungle that was her purse, seeing her licking her bottom lip as she focused on finding money._

_When he looked up from her lips, which also looked pretty awesome, he found her staring at his as well. That was a good sign, right?_

"_You're not too bad yourself," she told him, her voice a little breathless, then turned back to the bartender and handed him the money that she had finally found. _

_Crap. He really _really _liked her._

_When she had stood up to leave the establishment, his words got the better of him and before she realized what he was doing, he was dragging her out, hand in hand, before stopping beside the damp road._

_He turned back to her, wanting nothing more than to ask her if he could kiss her, only to have his train of thought completely derailed when she rushed forward, throwing herself at him lips first._

_The insurmountable force of utter comfort, lust, and pure passion hit her like a thick, brown and red brick wall, causing her to lose her balance and hold onto the man for dear life. His hands curling around her hips, he pulled back, mouth still slightly open as he lifted his hand to hail a taxi. Yet even as a yellow vehicle slid to a screeching halt beside the two, his deep dark eyes held hers in an unyielding embrace._

_They kept to themselves in the taxi, both of which sitting on the outer seats. She gazed through the window, fighting an internal war as one half of her begged her to tell him she couldn't do it, and the other half was dreading the thought that he was losing interest with each fleeting moment. The latter quickly ceased to exist when she felt something brushing against her thigh. Turning her head, she saw him looking down, and when she followed his gaze, she found his large hand open, resting on her leg, awaiting her own._

_Well, who was she to deny him such a simple gesture? _

_A grin veiled her lips when she took it in hers, and her knees grew weak along with butterflies slamming against the inner walls of her stomach when she saw the corners of his own inviting mouth turning up at one side, giving her the most adorable lopsided grin she had ever seen._

_Time seemed to drag along, each second feeling more like a minute, initiating her to sigh in pure relief when the car came to a stop, signaling the end of the journey. The man practically ran from his side of the vehicle, leaving her to cock an eyebrow and reach for her door, only to have it pulled open with that sweet goofy grin waiting on the other side. He handed the driver money, slipping his arm around her waist. They walked with reckless abandon for the world around them, only seeing one another while the rest of their surroundings seemed nothing more than a haze in the distance. _

_The barriers crumbled and fell when the elevator doors closed around them. She looked up, about to gauge his expression, but much preferred how she was thrust against the hard wall. His hands that once held hers in a polite delicate clasp now gripped, bracing them above her head, one crossing over the other. His mouth crashed messily into her own, teeth knocking and tongues sliding across the other. He was so close to her, his warmth causing reactions from her body in a way she couldn't describe. She fought the urge to rub against him, she really did, but when one of his hands fell, trailing down her sides until it ended on the curve of her behind, her body disregarded all of the lines she drew in her head, arching forward. _

_A sound emitted from his lips, surprising them both._

_Their kiss ended and panting replaced the silence in the air, hers especially noisy. _

_He had moaned. She shivered at the thought, leaning against the hand rail. She had never made a guy moan before, and honestly, she felt more than just a little bit powerful. _

"_I, uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the floor in what she could only assume was embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I guess I kind of got really into," he looked up at her, eyes locking, "what we were doing, you know." After a few more seconds of silence, he began to shuffle from foot to foot. "I completely get it if you are totally turned off now, or like, if you want to slap me." She looked away from him, only to begin giggling. "Or if you want to laugh. Anything's better than silence." He continued._

_Any prior doubt about going through with this was dust in the wind. She wanted this. She wanted him. Above all, she wanted to hear him moan more. She was Rachel Berry, and Rachel Berry always gets what she wants._

"_Stop talking," she cooed, noting the irony in the situation, considering she was usually the talker. His mouth closed, watching her with glazed eyes as she crawled towards him painstakingly slow. Rachel let herself brush against his front, feeling the outcome of her teasing in the front of his jeans. She smirked, leaning her head up while he bent down, lips more than ready to greet each other once again, only to hear the ding of the elevator. The man let out another noise now, this one resembling a frustrated groan, once again causing Rachel to release a small laugh as an elderly couple shuffled passed them. _

"_Ah, Finn! We haven't seen you around in quite some time." The older man said with a cough, tilting greatly on his cane. _

_The man that Rachel now knew to be named Finn (They hadn't ever gotten around to names…) turned away from her, smiling at the older couple. "Mr. Hendricks, you're usually asleep when I get home." He told him, his eyes glancing over to Rachel to see how she was reacting to the situation._

_Mr. Hendricks chuckled, tilting his head in agreement, "Well, we can't all be young and horny."_

_Rachel nearly choked from the gasp of air she sucked in. Finn's face quickly burned bright red, his hand slipping from Rachel's side, resting beside his own._

"_What did you just say?" The elderly lady who Rachel guessed was Mrs. Hendricks asked, her eyes a blazing fury as she looked back at her husband._

"_What?" Mr. Hendricks looked at his wife. "I just reminded the youngster that not all of us are young and hungry anymore, Lucille." He responded nonchalantly, then allowed himself to take on a slightly offended expression. "Why? What did you think I said?"_

_Now it was Lucille's turn to burn red. "That. I thought you said that. I just wasn't sure." She stammered out quickly. "Finn, you should come by for breakfast sometime. I'll cook bacon and pancakes, since they're your favorite." She said with a motherly overtone, but everyone present knew she was changing the subject. Rachel smiled at the woman, then looked up at Finn who had a similar expression. _

"_I'll try to come by sometime this week." He replied. The elevator dinged once more, and Finn placed his hand on Rachel's back, easing her through the door right after it opened. "Don't forget that we still need to play scrabble with your bingo friends, and I won't take no for an answer." He said to Lucille just as they exited. The young couple waved to the older, wordlessly speaking their goodbyes._

_The door was shutting when Mr. Hendricks shouted, "Have fun, you two!"_

_Now Rachel blushed, following Finn to his apartment. "They seem nice."_

_Finn looked at her over his shoulder, "They were the first people here to come by and welcome me into the building." He smiled, turning back to watch where he was walking, holding his hand out beside him. Rachel bit her lip, catching it and holding it at her side._

_He came to a stop outside of apartment 1627, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out the key. Rachel's hands were sweating now, holding her breath with either fear or anticipation. The sound of locks sliding was music to both of their ears, and he turned the handle, letting the door swing open.  
She laughed hysterically when he spun around, pulling her into his arms as he kicked the door shut._

**Message me on tumblr at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr. com (I know, I know, let me marinate in my misery) and review!**


	2. Chapter 2-Expect the Unexpected

**AN: Okay, so I know I said once a day, but the two people who reviewed were super nice, and so I kind of just couldn't help but put up another. Just a warning, this has Smut. Like, full blown, in depth, make-you-want-to-take-a-cold-shower smut. Enjoy.**

Now, here they were, Rachel sitting on his kitchen counter as he stood between her legs (fully clothed, might she add), igniting a thick and smoldering flame within her body. Even with her sitting on a high counter, he still towered above her, making her sit completely erect just to kiss him. Her arms were stretched out, slipping her fingers through his hair to yank and pull when he made her ooze ecstasy.

Her mouth melted into liquid as his fingertips splayed along the edge of her silk blouse, begging for her consent. She took one hand from his hair, sliding down her side before grabbing his own.

Finn was already on edge, his body shaking as this girl he barely knew sat before him with this look of pure happiness etched into her face. He would have been satisfied if she chose to stop then. Well, not satisfied physically, his body in dispute of that as he insistently ground into her warm center. But if she wanted to end things there, he would be spent emotionally. She was already filling him to the brim with lust and adoration, and if she asked him to jump out of a plane right then, he'd more than likely do it as long as no one gave him any time to question it. Everything he was feeling right now was overwhelming and really hard to process as it was, and they hadn't even taken their clothes off.

So, when she lifted his hand beneath her shirt, placing it on her bra, he let loose a feral moan. Instantly, he froze, afraid that he really had scared her off this time, but she whimpered beside him, squeezing his hand above her breast. Hoping this meant she wanted him to continue, he dove further into the kiss, dragging his teeth along her bottom lip, alternately kneading his palm along her lacy bra. She was thriving in the attention, rubbing her bottom half into him mercilessly, tantalizing every nerve in his body.

She pulled away from him, triggering his deep frown. Even if he'd be satisfied, it didn't mean that he _wanted _it to stop. Finn opened his eyes, seeing a glint in her own as her hands went to the bottom of her top, slipping it up over her head and throwing it behind her. Finn laughed as he saw it land on top of the fridge, wondering if he was going to have to get it down for her later, but Rachel slid her hand beneath his chin, successfully pulling his attention away from literally everything else.

"Let's go to your room," she rasped, giving him what Finn could only describe as her bedroom eyes. He swallowed thickly, nodding. Did he say earlier that he'd be okay if she wanted to stop? He took it back. Right now, he'd probably cry. And not manly crying either. Full blown sobs.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her petite form off of his counter and eliciting an endearing yelp, followed by her laugh that practically forced a smile onto his face. Her warm thighs enveloped him and her legs crossed behind his back, causing another groan as he picked up his pace. He kicked his bedroom door open, thanking god that his family had stayed with him the weekend before because his mom had cleaned up his room while he was at work.

Oh god. Now he was thinking about his _mom._ No freaking way.

Finn pulled away from Rachel, balancing both their weight, holding her in his arms. She looked back at him, the smile fading from her lips. He couldn't help but look between her wide brown eyes that looked at him in wonder, and her reddened lips that he felt like he could kiss for days. What had he been thinking of before? Screw it, who cares.

"You can kiss me if you want to," she whispered, which she felt was ridiculous, since they had already done so much more.

Finn looked back into her eyes, wanting to stay in that moment forever. Geez, when did he become such a sap? "I want to." He found himself answering, quickly catching her off guard in a searing kiss.

All of the ones previous to this had been about desire. They had been about self-satisfaction and trying to feel the most of the other, and for him especially, wanting to get off. But this… This was nothing short of affection. And how they both could share such an intimate motion with the other while hardly knowing each other was something that they decided not to dwell on, especially not while Finn laid Rachel down on his bed, placing a knee between her legs as he crawled on top of her, moving his lips somewhat clumsily, but charmingly against hers.

Rachel kicked off her heels, slipping her tiny fingers beneath Finn's green plaid shirt that clung to his body in all the right ways. He reach down what seemed like a mile, helping her remove the item of clothing, only stopping when her bracelet got caught on one of the buttons.

She leaned up, laughing as she tried to untangle the jewelry. "Wait one second." She whispered, attempting to keep the item in tact with gentle pulls where he was yanking and pulling. A few moments passed and they were getting absolutely nowhere. "Ah, forget it." Rachel blurted, tossing both of the items onto the floor. Finn ducked down again, a chaste kiss meeting to her lips.

"I'm so glad I met you tonight."

Rachel kissed him back, smiling. "What can I say? I have a thing for good listeners in run down bars."

Finn leaned back, feigning jealousy. "Are you telling me you do this often?"

"Only once a week," she joked, gripping the hair on the back of his neck and pulling him down, brushing her mouth against his own. She slid her hand down, attempting to slide off her skirt, when Finn's hand stopped her.

"Can I?" He asked with uncertainty, but Rachel nodded, letting her lips leave hot kisses along his jaw as he pushed the fabric down her legs. "Oh god." He muttered, his gaze on her cute little underwear with a large gold star on the front.

Rachel stopped her musings, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip. She had completely forgotten. "I-I hadn't really scheduled something like this occurring. If I had, I clearly would have worn more… Seduction worthy attire. And it's laundry day, because I have this big event tomorrow, and I just wanted to get everything done by tonight so I wouldn't need to worry-"

"Hey," Finn said, stopping her. She looked up at him. "They're cute." He kissed her on her jaw. "Your access-ive talking-"

"It's excessive." She said, then clamped her mouth shut when she realized what she just did.

Finn only smiled that half smile, "_Excessive_ talking. It's cute too," he continued, leaving an open mouth kiss on her collar bone. "You're cute." He finished, leaning down and kissing the valley between her breast. Rachel whined piercingly, her eyes closing on their own accord, her fingers scraping his bare back.

Rough hands slid up her stomach, sliding beneath the fabric of her bra to caress the curves of her breast. Rachel wailed out, feeling as if she was riding clouds of oblivion and bliss.

One of his hands slipped behind her back grasping for the material, the other pulling her nipple between his thumb and index finger until it pebbled. Once the restraint of her bra was gone, Finn tossed it away with neglect. He licked his lips before taking the other nipple into his mouth.

"Oh my _god._" Rachel shouted, warmth rushing to her core.

Finn smiled up at her, more than excited that he was causing all of these feelings in her. All of his past relationships had been dull, mostly occurring to please others or to boost popularity. He'd had sex several times, and while it was enjoyable, it always left him with an emotion that could really only be described as nothingness. He'd lay in the bed or sit in the car and just feel absolutely nothing from the event.

However, he had barely touched Rachel, and she had hardly touched him, and he already experienced the stir of feeling like he was about to explode.

Rachel was just easing into the sensation of his mouth on such a sensitive area, when she felt the loss of his skin. She blinked her eyes, seeing him looking back at her, but still not touching her. Rachel lifted an eyebrow in question, but felt her body sink as his hand stroked the lower half of her stomach, still trailing down.

His fingertips skimmed the rim of her underwear, teasing her while he stared down at her. She sharply drew air into her lungs when his hand disappeared into the fabric, and she jolted when the rather cold flesh slid along the saturated folds.

Finn watched the girl unravel before him, positive that he had never seen anything more awesome. He had to quickly recall his old memory of when he and his mom had gone driving, and he hit a mailman- which kind of served as a cold shower for him when he got a little too _worked up_ too quickly- when he felt the wetness in her underwear, unsure of how he had managed that. He didn't think too long on the fact that he hadn't needed to bring that memory up since High School.

He slipped his middle finger between the heated lips, watching Rachel toss her head back and buck forward.

His index finger unfolded from his hand and he let it do its own roaming, coming along the perky little nub. Without hesitation, his finger gently fondled it.

"_Finn!_" She screamed out, her hands harshly seizing the pillows near her head and clenching her legs together around his hand.

His pants were tightening to the point of being uncomfortable, but he refused to let a moment like this slip. He rubbed her again, and Rachel tangled her hands into his hair, lifting her hips, causing him to brush across the sensitive area again. When she found she could control the motions like this, she began to ruthlessly thrust herself into his palm, crying out in pleasure.

Finn craved to hear her cry his name again though, and so he deliberately withdrew his hand away, receiving a livid scowl from the girl with sex hair and swollen lips.

He only chuckled, kissing the soft skin on her stomach. She sighed, opening her legs even further. Finn kissed her inner thigh, running his tongue along the flesh and leaving a little wetness before looking at her underwear. They were saturated, the dampness creating a circle, almost like a target.

He let his eyes follow her panting body before he found her chocolaty eyes that screamed "_Please_". But, that would be too easy.

He could feel her furious glare as he continued further down, kissing and nibbling on her knee, then her calf, leaving wet open kisses on her ankle. Rachel sat up, grabbing his head and forcing him to look at her. "Finn." He only looked at her in response. "I want you to eat me out."

Well, that was completely unexpected. Dirty words like that coming from someone as neat and controlling as her. Though, as much as he was enjoying this torture, there was no way in _hell _he could say no to that. Nor did he want to.

Lips dragging along her skin, Finn made his way back up to the apex of her thighs, leaving a final, sweet, almost innocent kiss on the skin above it. Still holding her gaze, he let his mouth cover her, massaging her with his lips through the cloth. Rachel whimpered now, grinding herself into his mouth. But, that wasn't enough. He wanted her to scream. He wanted to her to yell his name so loudly that he got noise complaints from his neighbors downstairs.

So, he pulled her underwear down, dragging them slowly down her smooth tan legs as she sat rather impatiently. He pulled them over her feet, tossing them onto the floor where his shirt lay before turning back to her, staring down at her glistening center. _I'm so going to enjoy this_, Finn thought to himself before rushing forward, picking her up by her bottom, causing Rachel to scream and laugh. "Finn! Put me down!" She yelled, but Finn had other plans.

He let her legs hang over his shoulders, waiting until she got the idea and her laughs faded into moans as his tongue slipped into her, tasting everything that he was enjoying so much with his fingers earlier. He ate her out hungrily, like a starving man who'd finally been allowed dinner. Every time he came across the nub, she lost herself, thrashing around on the bed, but when he slipped a finger inside of her, slipping it in and out while letting his tongue pay very close attention to the sensitive bump, Rachel wasn't sure she could even remember her own name. But, there _was _one name that she remembered. A name that was bouncing around in her head, crawling up her throat, and dancing on the edge of her lips.

"_Finn!_" She screeched as he ravenously continued, making her wonder about, but at the moment not miss, the man who had been so gentle with her earlier. Her thighs squeezed around his head, but he sustained his assault on her, quickening his pace. "_Yes! Ah, yes!_" He felt her inner walls begin to clench around his fingers, and so he slowed down letting the sensation build up, but not letting her finish.

She groaned and he knew she had lost it. He smirked into her, hearing her heated huffing. She was so adorable.

"That was impolite." She blew out, clearly not happy.

Finn only laughed lightly before his fingers picked up the pace and he greedily lapped up any more of her juices before rubbing his tongue over the nub again. Rachel once again faded into loud moans, this time all of her muscles tensed and she nearly tore his sheets as she shrieked. "_Ah, ah, ah. Finn… Please, yes. Oh my god!_" He added a third finger and she finally fell over the top, crying out his name as her orgasm took over. "Ah-h!"

Rachel felt like someone had thrown her body in fire and electricity. She had never felt a climax this strong before, and his fingers and tongue still doing… _that _was making it last longer than she even knew to be possible.

She let her fingers relax when it finally stopped, leaving her body humming with a damp coat of sweat. She felt Finn move from his position after one last lick, the mattress weighing down as he crept back up to her stretched out form. When she could finally drag her eyes open, Finn was there watching her with caution.

"Are you okay?" He asked, worry tainting his voice.

Rachel felt a pang of something in her heart, but she decided against thinking about it and placed it at the back of her mind. "Are you kidding me?" She asked, and when Finn looked at her curiously, she lifted up with a slight struggle, since her limbs were still incredibly heavy. "I'm fantastic." She kissed him, his lips wet and sticky. "Well, actually, you're fantastic."

Finn smiled boyishly, and Rachel wondered if he wasn't used to hearing that. But, that was impossible. How else would he have gotten so good if he hadn't practiced before?

He was still grinning at her, this time a bit more smugly, when she accidentally brushed against his pants, feeling the hardness. His grin turned into something much more lustful as his eyes closed and his lips parted, and Rachel felt a sudden rejuvenation.

She reached down quickly, unbuttoning his jeans and slipped her hand inside. Finn's eyes opened wide and he was about to speak when she let her hand brush against the tip. There was a bit of liquid pebbled on the top, and she wiped her thumb over it and distributed it along the shaft as she let her fingers polish gradually along the entire length.

Finn's head fell into the crook of Rachel's neck, breathing deeply. She smiled, leaning forward and placing a frisky bite on his shoulder, picking up speed. Finn muttered something unintelligible, his mouth beside her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Her fingers clutched on accident, and Finn growled, his hand stopping hers.

"Stop." He said, and Rachel felt the hurt of rejection, pulling her hand away. He lifted his head, kissing her lips, and when he noticed her lack of response, he looked into her eyes. "Rach," the nickname caught her attention. "I want you to do that." He shook his head. "_Jesus Christ_, I want you to do it so bad, but guys… We don't get the privilege of doing… _That _more than once like girls." She took a moment to understand, but when she did, her face softened. "And, I'd much rather let it happen when I'm actually with you, if you know what I mean."

Rachel smiled at him now, letting her hands push down his pants. "I thought you didn't want me." She said, her stare flickering from his own. Finn let out a snort, and Rachel looked at him, anger flaring in her veins. "What?" She asked with a bit of bite.

His hands lifted as he let his body weight lay on hers, but he needed them elsewhere. He placed them on either side of her face, forcing her to look him in the eye. "How could you possibly think that?" She didn't answer. "I've had this," he gestured to the tent in his pants, "since you kissed me outside of the bar." He kissed her gently, letting his lips linger as he pulled back. "Of course I want you. I want you more than I've ever wanted anything in my life, which is actually really scary."

Rachel felt self-doubt. She wasn't exactly the picture perfect girl, and no one said all of these sweet things to her without just wanting into her pants, and then she realized that she was allowing him to do just that. "You're just saying that." She said, looking away, but Finn stopped her.

"Rach," He said, but she continued to look away, so he moved into her line of sight, making sure he had her attention. "You're beautiful, alright?" She was looking at him now, but the disbelief was still on her expression. "At first, you were kind of scary and honestly, I wasn't sure I was ever going to be able to get you to stop talking," he looked at her and saw how much he really needed to get to the point because this sure as hell wasn't helping. "But, then you did these little things, like smiling when I actually did talk to you, and how you fix your hair right before you take a drink." Rachel's stomach began its' insanely nerve racking flutters again, making her aware of the fact that Finn was on top of her half naked, saying what she expected to end in a confession. She liked him, she realized. She liked him a lot more than she should like a one night stand.

He smiled down at her, and she licked her lips. "And when you do that, it just makes me want to kiss you and never stop." Finn's lips parted, and she let her eyes softly close, leaning towards him. "I might not be able to manage it without _ever _stopping, but if you'll let me, I'll do it for the rest of the night." He said after a moment, and Rachel only nodded, blindly reaching down to remove the last standing obstacle. Finn watched her struggle, finding himself liking her even more, then lent a hand helping her pull off his pants and boxers. Once they were kicked to the floor, Finn nuzzled between her legs once again, still holding her face in his hand.

"Do you have…?" Rachel asked bashfully, letting the end of the sentence linger. Finn's confusion was evident. Rachel sighed. "Condoms. Do you have condoms?"

"Uh, yeah maybe." Finn jumped down on the end of the bed, yanking up his pants and digging out his old worn out leather wallet. When he scrambled back up to her, a gleeful look in his eye, she tried not to think about the implication that he did this thing often enough to need them at all times.

She openly watched him place the condom on himself, seeing his body jump at his own fingers touching the skin. She wanted this. Despite hardly knowing this man, and knowing that he carried condoms on him at all times, she wanted this. She wanted him. Now.

Rachel attacked him, all hands and moans. Finn smiled at her assertive actions, pushing her off of him and watching her flop onto the bed, her rich brown eyes sizzling with seduction when he lie down on top of her once more, fingers trailing up her scorching skin. He let his lips barely touch hers as he guided himself into her, pulling away as he quickly began emitting low grunts and gasps.

Rachel felt him enter her and immediately filled with warmth. He was a bit large, larger than Jesse, but it made her feel full. Like she didn't need anything else in that moment because she was completely and undeniably satisfied. Even with their strange height difference, she still felt as if his body was somehow just the right match for her own, what with the little place on her back that fit his hand and the place on his chest where her head could rest with absolute comfort. Her cries of pleasure circled around them.

"Ah, Rachel." Finn rasped out, looking down at her, her breast softly bouncing with each thrust. Rachel opened her own eyes, seeing the intensity in his. She lifted her hands, rubbing them over the objects of his attention. "You're going to kill me." He said, picking up speed.

The sound of flesh slapping against flesh was filling any silence that lingered, and Rachel felt her own orgasm building up.

Out of nowhere, Finn flipped them somewhat clumsily, his head hitting the pillows with ease as Rachel now mounted him, unsure of what to do. She had never been in this position before. In fact, she had only had one partner like this and he had never let her be in control of any of it. She was suddenly very intimidated by the whole idea, not keen on having so much power.

But Finn's rough fingers held her waist with such kindness, moving her slowly. Rachel felt him twist further inside of her, hitting deeper than before. It was a new experience. Something foreign and unknown, but so, so superb. She felt the whimper slip passed her lips, thrusting forward, drawing out a deep noise from Finn's chest.

Tentatively placing her hands on his muscular chest, using him as a brace as she began bouncing up and down, first leisurely, then much more rapidly. Her orgasm was tinkering on the edge, just like her sanity, she just needed a little push…

Finn pulled her down, his hot mouth loitering beside the shell of her ear, breath sending tingles down her spine. "_Rachel_." He whispered. "_Let go._"

And just like that, her walls clenched and she threw her head back, eyes slamming shut. "_Finn!" _She screamed once more into the night, her fingers digging into his chest.

Finn couldn't help but release himself when he heard her scream his name. He spilled into the condom, his head shoved back into his pillows and fingers gripping bruisingly tight on her waist, but she reveled in it.

Rachel rode out the sensational bliss as long as she could, and when it ceased, she collapsed beside Finn, feeling herself snuggle into his chest, heart racing. "Wow," she exhaled.

"Yeah." He said, pulling off the condom, tossing it into the trashcan beside his bed, then staring up at the ceiling. For once, he didn't feel 'nothing'. Instead, he felt… Ugh. He wasn't sure what he felt, but he wanted to do it again with her. But, more than that, he wanted to kiss her and hold her hand and just talk to her. It didn't make sense to him. He had never really cared for relationships, and he wasn't saying that he wanted to date her, but-Well, yeah actually. He was.

He glanced over to Rachel, seeing a bit of sweat dripping down her neck. He wiped it away, noticing how her eyes wouldn't meet his own. Shit. Had he done something wrong? "Was I bad? I'm so sorry. I know this sounds horrible, but I'll try to make it up to you." He sighed. "God, I'm such a moron!"

"I was scared."

Finn stopped talking, letting Rachel have his full attention again. "Why?"

She shook her head, laying it down on his bare chest. "No one has _ever _made something like that about me." She nuzzled in, trailing her hand across his skin. "And you did. And it was the most incredible thing I have ever experienced."

The large man beside her rolled over, tossing his hand over her side and pulling her even closer to him. He grabbed the blanket from the floor, pulling it over both of their bodies and laid his head above hers. "And I'd be happy to do it again, but for now, I say we get some sleep." Finn let himself breathe her in, his her warm lips chastely, closing his eyes.

She was fading into sleep, the last thing she heard was him saying, "This was the best night of my life."

Smiling, she recalled replying quietly with a yawn, "Mine too."

**AN: Told you it was intense. Anyway, leave a review and message me on tumblr at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr . com**


	3. Chapter 3-Maybe We Shouldn't

**AN: Hello! Thank you for everyone who has reviewed already. You're all fantastic. I may just update another tonight if you keep it up. This is basically just an aftermath of the night before. The next chapter is the Wedding Rehearsal. Enjoy.**

The morning sun hit her, warming her back and scorching her eyes. She groaned noisily and rolled over, her hand slapping flesh that wasn't hers. Rachel opened her eyes, the memories of the night before flooding back in. A smile grew, tilting her lips at the corners as she actually looked at him.

He was… Hot. Don't get her wrong, she'd had attractive men as her boyfriends, but never had she dated (although she wasn't dating him) someone who was just the all-american hot guy. Which is exactly what Finn was. Seriously, she wouldn't be surprised if he was the quarterback in his High School days.

At that, he shifted beneath the sheets, long fingers reaching out. She held back the squeal that rose in her throat when he pulled her closer towards him until her face was just inches from his.

She felt herself wanting him again, and _almost_ touched him, when she recalled that she had only met him last night and that he probably wouldn't want her in his bed when he awoke. _But he had said it was the best night of his life, right? _Rachel asked herself, only to be shut down. Yes, he had said that, but that doesn't mean he actually meant it. Or that he was ready to start some relationship with her. He had just had sex! Men can't be trusted during or directly after sex. Quinn had told her that.

Smile gone, she softly picked up his arm and rolled out of the comfortable bed, looking back at Finn. The blanket was draped across his legs, everything else open to the cool air. He looked so sweet while he slept, hair in every direction and lips slightly open. Rachel found herself blushing as she smiled down at him because she really liked him and it terrified her. It terrified her because when she really liked someone, it usually ended in her feelings being much greater than theirs ever were. But she gets over it with the help of a half-gallon of vegan ice cream and her friends Blaine and Mercedes, and Quinn (when she wasn't being bipolar).

Grabbing her skirt with a high held chin, she decided that she can get over this. But… It wouldn't hurt to leave her number, of course.

She found her bra, putting it back on as she searched for her underwear. After about twenty minutes and some very loud and clumsy close calls, she gave up, pulling her skirt further down as she walked to the kitchen to get her shirt. She looked all over the counters and floor, but it just wasn't there. Had it grown legs and walked away? Rachel's imagination was large, but she was also a logical thinker, and so she found a wash cloth and leaned against where she had sat on the counter the night prior, reenacting the throw.

Turning her head immediately after, she saw the cloth fall beside the giant fridge. She begrudgingly stood on her tippy toes several feet back, and sure enough, the end of one of her sleeves could be seen hanging over the edge near the back. She was never going to be able to reach that. Biting her lip in frustration, she spun around, wondering if she could find a broom of some kind, but got a different idea when she saw a basket of laundry sitting idly on the table.

"No, Rachel." She immediately said, looking away. But, it was so easy, and it would give her a good reason to come back at some point…

She found a grey shirt that read, "Property of McKinley Titans". Finn had been a football player? "I knew it!" Rachel whispered fervently, ripping the shirt from the basket.

She slipped the shirt on, noting that it was nearly as long as her skirt, and went to search for a notepad and a pencil.

After she put her number down on the counter, and you guessed it, right where she and he had there hot make out session the night before, she headed for the door, nearly colliding with another female as she began to walk out.

The other girl cursed in Spanish, and Rachel begin to apologize. "Whatever, it's cool." The girl said, then took a look at Rachel. Her eyes searched Rachel's, stopping when she apparently saw something that set her mind. "So, Finnocent got lucky last night, huh? Wanky." She continued, giving Rachel a rather disturbing smile and staring at the shirt that now felt like a burden.

"Do you live here?" Rachel asked, hoping the answer was no. The woman before her was beautiful. Rachel couldn't compete with that.

Her stomach sunk when the woman responded. "I come and go," She replied dispassionately. "When I feel like paying Frankenteen a visit and sleeping in his bed, messing up some sheets, I kind of let myself in." She elaborated, although Rachel severely wished she hadn't. Rachel saw that the girl was holding a key in her right hand.

"Right," She looked down.

The woman sighed. "You should go. We have somewhere we need to be, and I highly doubt he feels like having the morning-after conversation." She said, brushing passed Rachel. Rachel nodded in agreement, although her stomach felt like it was sinking into hell.

The door was about to shut behind her when Rachel spun around. "Um, excuse me?"

"Yeah?" The woman peeked through the crack in the door.

"There's a paper on the counter. Can… Can you throw it away for me?" She looked down at her shoes. "I made the mistake of leaving it there."

The woman sighed, lifting her perfectly groomed eyebrows. "Why not." Then shut the door, leaving Rachel in the middle of the hallway without any underwear and a massive heartache. This was good though, right? At least now she wouldn't need to worry about having awkward conversations with him, or going on awkward dates, or coming back to this apartment to have a repeat of last night…

She felt sick, as if she could either puke or cry, or both, so she quickly made her way to the elevator. About half way down, she remembered that she had a wedding rehearsal to go to that afternoon.

She reached down to her purse, which she had almost left, pulling out her dying phone. She called the only person she could think of that would really help her get her life in order.

"Blaine?"

* * *

Finn turned over releasing a loud yawn while desperately seeking refuge from the relentless sun. What time was it? He knew it had to have been after 12 because Finn never woke up before noon on a weekend unless someone forced him to. Luckily, no one had forced him to since he had a really long night and appreciated all of the rest. He grinned when he thought about it.

His fingers splayed out across the bed and anticipated the warmth of Rachel, but found nothing other than cold sheets. His heart thundered in his chest as he sat up, seeing her clothes missing from his floor.

She had left him.

He scrambled to get out of the bed, tripping on the sheets and falling on the floor with a thud. Finn groaned and picked himself up, actually glad that Rachel hadn't been there to see that. He swooped down to yank up his pair of pants, only to see underwear fall onto the floor. He smirked at the sight, his imagination going wild with thoughts of Rachel running around New York without her underwear… Which soon turned into a bit of- Jealousy? Oh god, he hoped not- thinking about someone possibly seeing the parts of her that he really wanted to be the only one to see. Some dude on the subway catching a glimpse of her incredible ass just made him get a gross feeling into his stomach, then he felt insanely pissed off, even though that man was hypothetical. Hopefully.

_She doesn't belong to you, dude. _Finn's voice entered his head and he really wished it hadn't. Obviously he didn't own her, he knew that, he just kind of wanted to be the only one she got that close to. _You've known her for less than a day. And you'll probably never see her again. _God, his head voice could be a real class A asshole sometimes.

But, it was right. Although he wanted to see her, and he really wanted to talk to her, possibly even ask her out, he couldn't. She had left, and that was that. He didn't know anything more than her first name. He was about to run out of his bedroom to see if she was still in the hall when he heard the shower running.

"Thank god." He sighed in relief, opening his bathroom door. The curtains were drawn, and he smiled as he grabbed the fabric and pulled it back, "I thought you had left- Santana?"

The Latina turned around one eyebrow raised in question. "You gonna stare all day, Yeti?"

He quickly closed the curtain, turning away. Santana's body was nothing new to him (she had been his first), but he still felt uncomfortable seeing her naked. It was one of those things where he only ever really saw her when she was changing or something, although she never tried to hide when he did.

"Where's Rachel?" He asked loudly, making sure she could hear.

Santana lathered herself, thinking back. "Oh, you mean wannabe Streisand? I caught her sneaking out in your old athletics shirt when I got here about 45 minutes ago. You didn't tell me you were sexually active, Hudson."

Finn let his face fall into his palms. Why would she sneak out? He mentally slapped himself. Of course she would sneak out, they had a one night stand. Why would she have stayed? Let him cook her breakfast? That was for couples. Not one night stands that you meet in weird bars. "Did she leave anything? A note?"

There was a minute before Santana answered, "Is this the sound of desperation or do you actually like this girl?"

He wasn't sure what to say. Yeah, he liked her. He liked her a lot. But, Santana wasn't necessarily the most tactful and he wasn't sure he wanted to be teased for the next six months after being left alone the night after he had mind blowing sex.

Still, if she knew anything, he needed to find out. "You could say that."

"She left her phone number. I guess I intimidated her when I told her that you and I sleep together, so she told me to throw it away."

Finn nearly ripped the shower curtain down. "What the hell, Santana? We don't sleep together!" This was the kind of crap that made Finn wonder why he was even friends with the woman. He'd known her since High school, and yeah, she and Puck had been his best friends since like fifth grade, but she was a life ruiner. She was ruining his life.

Santana shrugged in the shower knowing he couldn't see it. "We sleep in the same bed sometimes. Like, when I'm lonely or whatever. Anyways, it's not my fault she misunderstood me." She picked up the shampoo. "The note is on the counter still."

He turned to walk out, but stopped to flush the toilet first, then proceeded to leave Santana screaming about going all "Lima Heights" on his ass.

Finn found the note where Santana had told him it would be and honestly where he knew it would be anyway. It was sitting where Rachel had sat the night before, and where he wanted to find her and make her sit again. He was currently smiling like some idiot at the curly loops in her writing, when he remembered something Santana had said. Rachel was wearing his athletics shirt when she left. Why would she do that when her shirt was right… _Oh yeah. _He glanced up, seeing the fabric still laid out on the top of the fridge.

So, not only was she walking around New York in a skirt without her underwear, but she was wearing his High School football shirt. Okay, now he _really _liked this girl.

"You're growing," Santana claimed, walking passed him.

Finn didn't take his eyes off the paper, wondering if he should call her today or wait a little longer. Everything within his body screamed at him to do it today, or at least the lower half, but then he recalled her saying she had some big event today, and that he also had somewhere to be today. "Damn." He muttered, then saw Santana in the corner of his eye. "What?" He asked, forgetting all about her.

"I said," Santana grinned, gesturing to his pants. "You're _growing._" Finn looked down, seeing what she meant and quickly leaned closer to the counter to cover himself. "Are you thinking about the hobbit?"

"Don't talk about her like that," Finn demanded a little harsher than he had intended, surprising Santana. He never got upset with her over her insults. She actually thought he kind of liked them since she keeps it real and always lets him know when he looks like a chubby skyscraper. "She's… Actually really cool." He spoke quietly, watching the gears turning in Santana's head.

She turned, opening the fridge. "Calm down, Sasquatch. She seemed nice, excluding the part where she knocked into me like an NFL linebacker." She pulled out some of the yogurt that Finn didn't remember buying. "But, right now, you should stop your inner man sobbing about your weirdly strong one night stand doing the walk of shame and instead be finding that suit that makes you look half way decent because we," she smirked, flipping her hair, "have a wedding rehearsal to crash, and I wants to get my cake on."

Finn nodded, laying down the crumpled paper with a fleeting glance. Santana was right. He needed to pull himself together and get ready to leave. His friend needed him to save him from his incredibly emotional fiancée who was probably yelling at him about flower decorations at that very moment.

"It's not crashing if you're invited." Finn reminded her as he walked to his room, hearing her shut the fridge door.

"Whatever. I'm just going for the free food- Oh come on!" Santana began yelling, and Finn's face went red because he knew why before she even had to say it. "Did you two have sex all on top of the fridge too? I knew you were freakishly tall, but how the hell did you two get up there?"

He closed the door, chuckling at the thought of him and Rachel on top of the fridge.

* * *

Rachel got to her apartment around noon after having a long talk with Blaine at a café. He was planning to come over after she got back from the rehearsal, and she had already bought the ice cream and got out the old musicals, but that meant she was left only having an hour to be ready and go.

She took a speedy shower and pulled on her dress, then did her hair and make-up, all the while staring at her phone. Why? Well, that she couldn't tell you. That woman had thrown away the paper, so Finn would never call her anyway. Not like she wanted him to. He already had someone in his life.

Or did he? Rachel rolled her eyes. It doesn't matter. It was a one-time deal, and it can never happen again. Besides, she already had one guy to deal with and he was nearly as high maintenance as her, which was saying something.

She was perfecting the last of her make-up, particularly her lipstick, when her phone lit up. Her heart picked up swiftness as she glimpsed down, then whined when "JESSE" sped across the top of the screen. She simply turned around with a bit of attitude, disregarding it.

"It's rude to ignore people."

Rachel spun, the man in question standing in her doorway. "Jesse? What are you doing here?"

"I love you, Rachel. I'm not ready to give up on us." He spoke with such sincerity that Rachel knew it had to be more acting. He moved from his place, walking to her.

She held her hand out, symbolizing her need for him to stop talking and hopefully stop trying overall, all the while shaking her head. "You're the one who cheated, Jesse. This isn't about what you want anymore."

Jesse smiled sadly down at her, his soft hands wrapping around her shoulders. "Rachel, we're in New York. You want to make it big on Broadway, I am making it big on Broadway." He leaned down, kissing her cheek. "You need me, and I need you." Warm lips brushed over hers, but even with him so close, there was only one thing she could think of. It was nothing like how it felt with Finn. _But Finn's not standing right in front of you, is he? _No. He wasn't.

"Jesse," Rachel said, sighing. "I agree that we definitely need to arrange a time to speak formally about our relationship, but right now is definitely not the proper time." She placed her hand on his chest, slightly pushing him away. "I was just about to leave."

Jesse looked down, as if he just realized she was dressed up. "Where are you going?" He took a step back, his foot landing on the floor with a stomp. He was throwing a tantrum. Rachel couldn't believe she ever dated this guy. "You're not going on a date are you? We've only been broken up a week, Rachel! I can't believe our time together has meant that little to you!" He yelled dramatically, just like everything else that he did.

His arguments made her frustrated, one because she had slept with someone the night before, and two because he had cheated on her. So, clearly, there relationship had meant nothing to _him._ Not the other way around.

Still, she was tired and kind of heartbroken, so she kept her anger to herself. "Quinn and Puck's wedding rehearsal is today." Rachel said, replacing her lip gloss.

"They're getting married?" Jesse asked.

Rachel turned to him, her eyes wide in shock. "Jesse, I've been talking about this for months!"

He shook off his confused exterior and smiled down at her. "I know, Rachel. I was kidding." Rachel rolled her eyes, turning back to the mirror. "So, do you have a date to this event?"

"I don't need a date. It's only close friends, like the Maid of Honor and the Best Man, people of that extent." She replied, walking passed him to grab her coat.

Jesse followed her into the bedroom. "Well, I'll be your date anyway. Quinn shouldn't mind, and afterwards, I can take you to dinner and we can talk about us." He said, his voice hopeful. Rachel wanted to say no, but it was hard when she was afraid of being alone. Even if he had cheated, she wasn't sure if anyone else was going to be able to put up with her crazy, and above everything else she was feeling at that moment, loneliness took the cake.

"Fine."

"Good," he said, slipping his arm beneath hers. "Let's go."

**AN: Right, well I hope you all enjoyed that. Like I said before, if you review and show some love, I will indeed update and post the Wedding Rehearsal chapter which is... Well, it's definitely something. Thank you for everything, and come message me on tumblr at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr . com**


	4. Chapter 4-He's NOT My Boyfriend!

**AN: So, this one is a bit short. But that's only because the full wedding rehearsal would have been too much to put in just one chapter. Besides, I already gave one chapter today, so think of this one as a filler. Enjoy.**

Rachel felt hollow walking in with Jesse on her arm. It was like someone else was walking in her skin and she was just sitting on the sidelines watching life go by. But, he was right. She needed him. He could make her the star she sought to be, and that was all she needed to care about. This had been her dream since she won her first singing competition when she was 8 months old and she'd be damned if she didn't follow through with it.

Her emotions got a bit more optimistic when she saw Quinn looking beautiful as always, yelling at some of the workers about changing the handles on the doors to match the flowers. The blonde jumped up happily when she saw Rachel, running towards her and pulling her into a massive hug.

"Ugh, thank god you made it!" She said with more relief than excitement. "Puck has been annoying me with all of his talk about his "buddy" coming and how much fun they were going to have at their bachelor party, and it just made me want to have my best friend here to rub it in his face." She admitted, and Rachel nodded, trying to let Quinn vent. The girl continued, sending an evil glare at one of her attendees. "Plus, not only has Puck's friend not shown up yet, but his hag of a mother has been nagging me all morning about making my dress a little longer." She turned back to Rachel. "I'm already attempting not to trip over it as it is!"

Rachel laughed, grabbing Quinn's shoulders. "Everything is going to be wonderful, okay? Just breathe." Jesse nudged Rachel's side, and she looked back to see him waiting for… Well, she wasn't exactly sure. "Is it alright that I brought Jesse?"

Quinn eyed the man, then nodded slowly. Rachel had told Quinn about Jesse cheating on her, so she wasn't exactly sure why the man was at anything with Rachel, let alone Quinn's wedding rehearsal.

"Finally! Now we can get this party started!" Puck yelled in the distance.

Quinn huffed in frustration, then, like a professional, masked her features with a pleasant smile. "I guess Puck's friend showed up." The blonde quickly glanced towards Rachel, scaring the brunette with the look of guilt and fear that marked her features. "There's something I need to tell you."

Immediately, Rachel's mind went to the worst conclusions. "Did you cheat on Puck?" Rachel whispered, grabbing Quinn by the shoulders.

Quinn began laughing, shaking her head at the ridiculous accusation. Rachel thought that she might have been laughing a bit too hard. "No, no. It's just that- Okay. You are aware that Puck's best man works with him, correct?" Rachel thought to herself, but ultimately nodded. "Well, he does a lot more than that." Rachel held Quinn's gaze, confused. "Rachel, he runs the company. I mean, he's the owner." Well, that was unexpected. Puck worked for a company that manufactured instruments. Actually, that was a very modest way of putting it. Puck was an executive manager in the main corporal office of Hudmel Instruments, the highest selling brand of instruments sold in the world. Quinn had been telling Rachel how Puck was a shoo-in to obtain the position of COO, but it hadn't happened yet.

Still, to hear about Puck being so close to the actual owner of the business left her a bit of star-struck. She herself had once owned a small Hudmel pink piano when she was a child, but that was before the company had been passed onto a new owner and focused mainly on guitars and drums.

"Why-"

"Am I telling you this?" Quinn finished. "Well, to be completely honest, he's an asshole. And a womanizer." The blonde said with an exasperated sigh, and Jesse scoffed from behind Rachel.

"Why is this important? Clearly, she's in a relationship." He let his hand wrap around her waist, but Rachel pushed it off, aiming a particularly cold glare in his direction. How the hell could he be so arrogant as to think that she was completely fine after he cheated on her?

Jesse reluctantly took a step back, holding his hands up in surrender. Rachel turned back to Quinn. "Despite his _incorrect_ reasoning, the idea of his argument _is_ correct. I'm not going to hook up with the best man of your wedding, Quinn."

Quinn smiled. "I know you aren't, but I thought that it was something that I should relay considering you two are sat beside each other." Eyes bulging, Rachel opened her mouth to protest, but Quinn just hushed her. "Come on, let's go see what all of the fuss is about." She dragged Rachel, who was followed by Jesse as they walked to the group gathering around Puck and his friend.

Quinn scooted in the crowd, bringing Rachel along with her. "Took you long enough. Did you know we've been waiting to dole out the food?" Everyone looked at Quinn, but only Puck's mom looked at her with the horror that the rest of the audience had already become quite accustomed to. "I mean, I'm so glad you could make it!" The girl said politely, holding her hand out to the friend, who Rachel still couldn't see because of some people in the crowd. Quinn tugged on Rachel a little harder, "And this is my Made of Honor, Rachel." Rachel stumbled into the inner circle, laughing nervously as she held out her hand, looking up to see the friend, only to be met by dark familiar eyes.

"Rachel?"

Rachel's mouth hung open as she looked up at Finn who was now wearing a dress shirt and slacks. He looked _good._

"You know her?" Quinn asked, looking from Finn to Rachel.

Finn opened his mouth, but Rachel interrupted him. "Of course not." She quickly shook Finn's still outstretched hand, smiling politely at him as she attempted to not show how affected she was by his touch. He kept his heavy gaze on her the entire time, eyes veneering over. Oh man. "And you are?"

There was a moment of silence. Puck spoke up, "This is Finn. Man, are you hung over?" Puck asked, causing Finn to shake himself then deny that he had drank at all.

"I did have a pretty late night though." He said, instantly looking at Rachel.

She felt her skin heat up. He was playing with her! Well, Rachel Berry wasn't going to be toyed with. "Perhaps you should sleep earlier if you have something important to do the next day." She said, smiling at him.

The corner of his eyes lifted, an amused expression overthrowing his face. "Nah, it was worth it."

"My boy here was with a chick all night." Puck slapped Finn on the back of his shoulders, to which Rachel winced.

"What's new?" Quinn said under her breath, rolling her eyes.

Puck glanced towards Quinn. "He won't tell me a damn thing about it!" He replied, looking to the taller man who was somewhere between uncomfortable and extremely uncomfortable. "Was she that bad? You look like you could use some therapy. Was she crazy in the-"

"She was awesome, dude." Finn quickly interrupted. "Really awesome." His eyes darted to Rachel, to which she looked away. "I just don't want to talk about it."

"Don't go getting all soft on me, Hudson. I was the one who bailed you out of jail when you were caught with those three Swedish prostitutes!" Finn's eyes widened at Puck's words, his eyes still on the dainty brunette before him whose mouth had fallen open in shock. She gave him a quick once over before turning away. Finn felt a sharp pain in his chest, and he quickly rubbed his hand down his face before exiting the crowd, looking back over his shoulder to tell Puck, "We'll talk about this later."

Quinn and Puck looked at each other before breaking up the crowd and leading everyone to their seats. Finn found where Rachel sat and sighed in relief when he saw his name plate was placed beside hers. He pulled out his chair, quickly shoving himself into the seat while swallowing down half a glass of water before shifting to look at her.

She was beautiful.

Her soft brown hair that he had been grabbing at the night before was now swept up on one side, trailing down her shoulders like chocolate falling over her dark skin, sort of reminding him of when he had watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as a child. She was fiddling with her fork, twisting it around in her nimble fingers.

"Rachel-"

"Three Swedish prostitutes?" She inquired passive aggressively, sitting down the fork and looking up at him. If she didn't appear so hurt, he would have thought she looked adorable with her big brown eyes shining. "Sounds like a party." She glanced back at her hands, attempting to not stare at him more than necessary.

"You can't hate me for sleeping with a lot of women before you," Finn asserted, only realizing his mistake once it was out in the air, flowing like icy death waves into her cute little ears. "I don't mean _a lot _of women, just, y'know, a normal amount for someone my age. I didn't mean-"

She interrupted him once more, for which he was kind of thankful. "It's fine." Rachel said, and Finn was pretty sure he could kiss her right then and there. Well, he was positive, actually, considering her had wanted to since he woke up that morning. That was- of course- until she continued. "It's not like we're dating or anything. We shared one another's company last night, and it was great," Hell yeah it was great. More like explosive. "But, it was a onetime thing, and especially now that we're going to be in one another's life on a regular basis, we should just pretend it never happened. We're both mature adults, me being 24 and you being… Somewhere in that general area. We can handle it."

What? No. No! That wasn't what he wanted at all.

He stared at her, mouth agape, but she refused to look at him. "Rachel," he said gently, but she continued to stare at her hands. "Rach," he cooed, this time making her stir in her seat before she finally looked up at him. "Don't do this."

She looked like her resolution might crack, that was until a man Finn didn't recognize came up on the other side of her, taking a seat. After that, she really did keep her eyes off of him. He just wished he had the same power of will.

Obviously the seating arrangement was purely coincidental considering that they were just sitting where their name plates were. Quinn and Puck must have just presumed that she and Finn should sit together so that they could get to know each other since they are the two second most important people at the wedding.

Besides, if she had a choice in the matter, Jesse wouldn't be sitting on her other side.

Though she couldn't complain much (Or she could, very much so), since Jesse hadn't been on the list, they had to scoot the chairs to make room for him, forcing Rachel to be close enough to Finn to brush knees more than once.

The seat beside Finn remained open for the moment, and Rachel became confused when she saw the woman from earlier take up residence. It had seemed, since Finn was so persistent, that he had shown up _without _a date.

"Rachel?" The woman asked, looking between her and Finn. Finn shrugged helplessly and continued to watch Rachel who was staring back.

"Wow, it's like everyone here knows you." Jesse commented with a hint of envy from beside her. Finn's eyes slid passed Rachel, landing on the man who was now irritated being somewhere where no one knew him.

His stomach sank as he looked down, seeing Jesse's fingers inching closer to her own. "I'm sorry, we haven't met. Who are you?" Finn asked, holding out his hand.

Jesse smiled at Finn, reflexively giving him his 'Don't You Know Who I Am?' face, but hid it while lifting the hand that was so close to Rachel's. Rachel both silently thanked Finn and rolled her eyes at his actions. "I'm Jesse St. James."

"Finn Hudson." Finn replied, tightening his hold on Jesse's hand.

The man tensed, a worried laugh falling from his lips as he tried to end the handshake. "You've got quite the grip."

The handshake ended and Finn settled back into his chair, taking a small sip from his glass of water. Rachel found herself getting a little thirsty as well, smoothing down her hair and grabbing her own glass. "So, are you a friend of Quinn's or…?" Finn let the question linger in the air.

"Oh, no. I'm Rachel's-"

"Friend." Rachel finished.

Jesse chuckled, quickly grabbing up her hand. "Boyfriend." He said, and Rachel saw Finn's jaw twitch. "It's complicated, but we're getting back together." He said, attempting to sweet talk Rachel, which she definitely wasn't having with Finn sitting there. Yes, Rachel had already decided that she wasn't going to put herself through the heartbreak that she was sure Finn Hudson would give her, but that didn't mean that she wanted him to believe that she and Jesse were still an item.

Why did this have to happen to her? In High School, she was fighting _for_ just one boy's attention, and now, she was fighting _off _one man's attention while the guy she liked sat on the other side.

"I never said that." Rachel pointed out, pulling her hand out of his. Her eyes shifted to Finn, who seemed slightly less tense, but still had his eye on Jesse. Rachel wanted to throw herself at him and promise him nothing was going to happen between them, but she tossed that out the window real quick. She refused to be that clingy girl, not after the way she was with Jesse, and especially not after she found out how much Finn supposedly gets around. How was she to know whether or not he even liked her? Maybe he just was using her for the night. Yeah, that had to be it. She'd originally planned on playing hard to get, but now that she knew more about him, she was forced to play _impossible_ to get.

**AN: Like I said, kind of short. But the next chapter is longer and smuttier. That shall wait until tomorrow though, my friends. Leave a review! Message me here or on tumblr at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr . com and let it be known that I am totally up for talking and crying about the finale, no matter how long it has been since it aired. Have a great day!**


	5. Chapter 5-Well This is Inconvenient

**AN: Thank you, all of you, for reviewing and keeping up with me on the journey that is this story. I had intended to slyly integrate the back story into the chapters, but one guest felt the introduction to Jesse was strange, so I'd quickly like to address the fact that Jesse had lived with Rachel and therefor had a key. This is also spoken of in a few chapters. I deeply apologize if that put anyone out. NOW let us continue. And as promised, there is smut. Enjoy.**

The tension between the two was obvious. Well, obvious if you cared to pay attention. Perhaps that's why Jesse sat in a state of oblivion, his eye on something across the room that if Rachel, on the other hand, cared to pay attention to, would know was an auburn haired waitress that kept sending a flirty smile his way.

Although, Santana had indeed noticed. She had an ongoing list of shit Jesse was doing because if she wanted to repay her debt to Finn for screwing him over this morning, she was going to need to make sure this little dramatic duo was completely over. Besides, Rachel wasn't half bad. Yeah, she was repulsively strong, but she had been talking to Santana since the awkward introductions earlier, and although she was kind of annoying, she was actually really nice and accepting when Santana had unreservedly admitted that she was a lesbian. In fact, if Santana recalls correctly, she replied with something about having two gay dads and how happy she was that Santana felt comfortable enough to tell her.

So, yeah, she wasn't so bad.

Rachel and Finn were currently in a stare down, albeit discretely. Well, Rachel was being discrete. Finn had a shit eating grin on his lips, eyes clearly shining with glee as he watched her squirm nervously beneath his gaze.

His hand reached forward, brushing her arm as he grabbed for another drink of cool water because it was the closest thing he was going to get to a cold shower right now, when he saw it. The arch.

Her back bent in pleasure at his innocent touch, lips parted and a very inaudible moan emitted from her shiny pink lips. Her eyes widened more than he thought possible after doing so, and she quickly straightened out her back, constantly looking between him and the table cloth. As if he wouldn't notice something like that. As if he wasn't noticing everything she did.

Did that mean that Finn wasn't the only one who needed to cool off? Well, if she was already riled up, he might as well have some fun with it.

"So, Jesse, what do you do for a living?" Finn asked abruptly, leaning forward. He had one arm on the table, leaning on his hand in interest, but it was the other that was important. Making her jump slightly, she was shocked to find that the other was currently on Rachel's upper thigh, leaving her light headed and having trouble concentrating of basically anything else.

She scowled at Finn, left in complete disbelief that he would try anything like that here, and especially with her ex-boyfriend less than a foot away. And while Finn wasn't looking at her, she knew he saw her when that boyish smile that tugged on one side of his lips appeared. She wanted to yell and scream, maybe even hit him because _this was definitely not the place_, but it felt good, _really good_, and the pleasure was kind of fogging the rational part of her brain right now.

Jesse lit up at the fact that he got to talk about his work, which only made Rachel less engrossed in the matter. "I am a performer on Broadway." He said matter-of-factly.

Finn nodded in interest. "What plays have you been in?" He asked, but his hand trailed further in, landing right above Rachel's core that was currently throbbing, despite her brain screaming at it to stop. Jesse continued talking, but Rachel was paying closer attention to Finn's fingertips rubbing circles into her center, making her ache annoyingly with need.

Jesse was a little offended at Finn's question, leaning back in his chair to seem more masculine. "Well, I haven't really done anything you would know of," his voice lowered, "not like you would know anything about Broadway anyway." Rachel heard that, despite the unyielding waves of pleasure resonating through her, and she turned her frown at Jesse, who only shrugged in response.

"Alright, let's get down to business and talk about the real reason you losers are here," Puck's voice made Rachel jump, looking over her shoulder to see him walking up with a frowning Quinn by his side. "Q wants some help with the music selection, and while I personally thought a garage band or something would do better than some weird generic pop crap," Quinn hit his side, "She came up with the _genius _idea to have the two people we both know can sing pretty well do a duet, and maybe some of our other friends to do some of the other numbers."

Rachel looked at them with suspicion, mainly because Finn's fingers had ceased their motions. "Who's that?"

"Us, obviously!" Jesse announced with pure delight. "Babe, you told them about how I wanted to start performing in less important revenues to practice for the better ones?" He turned back to the couple who were looking at him with a bit of surprise and disgust, which Finn agreed with, mainly the disgust part.

"We're talking about Rachel and Finn, dude." Puck protested, glaring at the man who he had never met before.

Quinn was staring at the guy with pure disbelief. "Why the hell would I have you of all people sing at my wedding? I don't even like you." She pointed a finger at Jesse. "I don't want you here with my friend, much less my wedding."

"And boom goes the dynamite." Santana supplied, outright laughing and hitting the table. "You tell 'em, Bridezilla."

Jesse held his hand in front of his face to hide his exaggerated shock, and Finn felt the overwhelming need to just punch the hell out of him. It had been a growing sensation, but was now more present than ever. Had Rachel really dated this asshole?

Although his first clenched, one by his side and the other in Rachel's really soft dress, forwarding the conversation seemed like the thing to do, so he gathered up his pride and spoke, "What do you want us to sing?"

"Wait, so you actually do sing?" Rachel questioned, not convinced.

Finn smiled at her, moving his finger once before he spoke, causing her to jump. "Yeah, I do."

He hadn't mentioned that when she was pouring her heart out to him at that bar the day before. Then again, he wasn't really given the chance to say much anyway.

"He sang some kick ass Foreigner songs at the company Christmas party last year. Everyone was going wild." Puck supplied. "I was better, but he was good." He laughed when Finn did, both men caught up in some memory. "Maybe he should have serenaded that girl he was with last night. Then, she might be here." Puck teased, but Finn's only response was looking at Rachel. She smiled weakly at him, trying to remember why exactly she had been determined to not try and have a relationship with him only an hour before.

"A love song would be fine. Just, text me your choice and Puck and I will discuss it." Quinn interjected, breaking the cute little public moment, which wasn't actually cute. More like incredibly sexual and sad at the same time.

Puck leaned in before he spoke, "Meaning she'll decide and tell me about how much my opinions don't matter right now." Quinn shoved him again, then turned away, dragging him along behind her. Finn chuckled at the couples retreating form before turning back in his seat and looking at Rachel, who was looking back at him expectantly. He only watched her, curious as to what she wanted, when she scooted forward, successfully forcing his fingers to slide along the outside of her underwear, her dampness coating his fingers.

So, she wasn't so mad about him pulling such a dirty stunt in public? Noted.

Finn started back up with his roaming fingers, this time moving her underwear to the side to actually allow his fingers full access to her wet flesh, rubbing her clit before sinking a finger inside of her welcoming heat. He continued eyeing Rachel as she gripped the white table cloth that was currently covering the event.

"You'd think she'd be more supportive of her friends' choices," Jesse spoke. Rachel kind of wished she could just tell him to leave, but that would be very impolite.

Santana exhaled a breath, leaning over the table to look Jesse in the eyes. "Are you delusional?" He rolled his eyes, but Santana was feeling like a fight, so she continued. "Your 'girlfriend' clearly doesn't like you as much as you think she does. She's spoken to you like literally two times."

"She's upset with me right now," he looked over at Rachel, who was still trying her hardest _not _to look like she was being touched inappropriately beneath the table. "But Rachel always comes back to me." Finn snorted then, causing Jesse to stir in his seat. "You want to say something?"

Finn opened his mouth, fully prepared to say things he'd probably regret, but Santana continued. "Look here, Twinkle Toes. You screwed up. Don't know how, don't care why, but you did. This whole 'Star Crossed Lovers' act isn't cutting it, especially not with you eye fucking the waitress over there," Rachel found enough will-power to look up and glare at him in disdain, "and to be completely honest, the light reflecting off of your waxy plastic skin is blinding me."

The other man took the insults in stride… Or not. Jesse leaned towards her, throwing random offences and even some questionably racist ones, to which Santana responded with angry Spanish curse words and flung her hands around very energetically. Rachel wanted to jump up and stop the fight, but she was otherwise occupied, and fear that if she stood, the skirt of her dress would be several inches higher than it needed to be. Finn, on the other hand, was completely complacent with the current situation. Really, he wasn't even paying attention to it. Instead, he was watching Rachel bite her lip and tense up with the oncoming orgasm.

He'd never done anything like this before. Wasn't really sure why he did it besides an idea he got from watching STARZ passed midnight, but he was glad he did. Regardless of the fact that there were people around them, he was able to give Rachel more pleasure, and that was worth anything he had to give up.

She stifled down a moan as he pressed in again, the tip of his finger rubbing her the right way. She fake coughed, causing Finn to smirk smugly as he heard the thinly veiled whimper beneath the noise.

"You're literally making me sick with your ignorance," Santana declared, scooting her chair back and getting up.

Jesse scooted his own away from the table, looking down at Rachel. "I need to get some fresh air. Are you coming?" He asked.

She blushed deeply at his question, to which Finn's pace increased to make the answer to the question 'yes', but in an entirely different way. Rachel smiled back at him, still feeling quite dizzy. "No, I'll just stay here."

"Don't you think this would be a good time to talk about the things we've been needing to discuss?" Jesse questioned, watching her reaction. Was she even going to try in this relationship? Jesse had poured his heart out to her earlier and she hadn't even responded with the heartfelt declaration of love that he had anticipated. If it was going to be like that, then he was definitely going to need more time with his friend Amanda later.

She seemed uncomfortable. Maybe she was on her period. In that case, he wasn't sure he wanted to be around her anyway. "I'm feeling a little dizzy," she explained.

Jesse shrugged. "Suit yourself." Then left.

After he was gone, Rachel let her head fall on the table. "Oh god." She whimpered.

Finn leaned in, whispering, "We need to talk."

She expected him to remove his hands, but his fingers didn't so much as slow down. She gave him a pleading look, but his fingers continued the massaging they were already performing. "About?" She finally asked, licking her lips.

"Why you left me this morning." Finn said, changing the direction of his fingers. Rachel moaned low in her throat, then shook her head. How could she speak when he was doing these things to her? What did he want her to say?

"Finnnnnn," She said quietly, holding out the last letter without much thought. "I can't… I can't think."

"That's not good enough," he whispered, his pace picking up. She felt it coming, building and strengthening with each passing second.

"I don't… Ah, Finn, I can't." She told him, laying her head down on the able.

Finn inched closer, "You _can_."

She lifted, throwing her head back as the feelings crashed over her. Finn watched her breathe heavily, clearly struggling to not scream out. His pants were impossibly tight now, his hard on growing with each passing second. But, she was so incredible. Her eyes fluttering shut as she clenched around his fingers, biting her lip with flushed cheeks.

He hadn't meant to get her in trouble or anything, but they had made a mistake by putting him beside her. How was he supposed to just sit there and do nothing while Jesse St. Jackass held her hand and possibly groped her in front of him?

She whimpered quietly, opening her eyes and looking at the man beside her, every nerve in her body begging for her to do the same thing. "Kiss him!" they screamed.

Her skin was on fire, and she was barely keeping the noises at bay. Why was he torturing her like this? She hadn't really hurt him by leaving, had she? She thought… "I didn't think you would have wanted me there in the morning." She rasped, holding her hand over her own mouth to regulate her words. "I thought it was one of those… One time things."

He stopped, looking at her. "Are you serious?" He asked, and when Rachel nodded, thankful that the sweet, sweet torture had ceased. Finn took her hand in his own then, neglecting the fact that everyone around them were under the impression that she was with Jesse. "Rach, hell yeah I would have wanted you there when I woke up. You're kind of amazing, and that's only after knowing you for a few hours." She pulled her hand away, looking around them. Everything seemed to be ignoring them, but she couldn't be too sure.

"Finn, I can't do this here." She shook her head. "And that… _thing _you were doing earlier, while-Well, while incredibly appreciated," his lips tilted on one side, nearly making her lose her train of thought, but she charged through and persevered, "Cannot happen again." Or, at least not in public…

The beautiful smile fell from his lips, Rachel seeing hurt replace his glee. "Is this about that guy?"

"Jesse," she supplied.

"Whatever. Rachel, the guy is a total tool!" His slight outburst surprised Rachel, and she quickly looked around her, checking to see if anyone else caught it.

Sighing, she gently fixed the napkin on the table back into the correct position, but it was pointless. She had gripped it so hard that it was now covered in wrinkles. "You don't even know him."

"I know he sat here for half an hour and talked about his work, not even noticing that there was something going on with you." Rachel looked up to see Finn staring back at her. He looked so serious. Did he really care that much about her? "I know that he called my best friend Cheap Labor and a beaner Lindsey Lohan, which at the very least makes him a racist asshole." Rachel _had _noticed his tendency to get very passionate about the topic of illegal immigrants, mainly because someone of Spanish descent kicked his butt in his audition for Tony in West Side Story. But no matter what the reason, it was inexcusable.

Rachel now leaned on her own hand, a small playful smile on her lips. "And you think there's someone better than him for me?" In all actuality, she was curious. On paper, Rachel and Jesse were the perfect couple. They had the same interest and shared the same love for the dramatic arts in everyday situations. But, even with all of the similarities, they just weren't romantically compatible. So, who was?

"Yeah, actually, I do." Rachel tilted her head, prompting him to continue, which he did. "Tell me that you don't feel something rock through your body when we touch." To further his point, he brushed his fingers up Rachel's arm, initiating the shivers that she was becoming all too familiar with. "Or that last night wasn't one of the coolest nights of your life." She laughed at his juvenile vocabulary, warming her heart all the more. But, then his eyes lowered, and she instinctually licked her lips. "Tell me that you don't want to kiss me right now." His body moved in, the butterflies erupting in Rachel's stomach.

What was he doing to her? She was like a wet noodle in his hands.

"Because I want to kiss you."

Rachel let her eyes flutter closed, allowing her body to be pulled towards his own. She _did _want to kiss him. She had wanted to kiss him since she woke up that morning, but he was like an infomercial. Offering something great and incredible, but wasn't actually right in front of you to grab. Also, he kept you up at night, but that was a different story.

"No," she pulled away reluctantly. "I can't do this here."

"Come on, Rachel." Finn pleaded, his body still closer to her than was necessary. "You can't tell me you don't feel something between us. Look, if this is about Jesse-"

"No, _Finn._" She told him in hushed tones. "This is about the fact that I've known you for less than 24 hours and you're doing questionable things to me under the table! And at both of our best friend's rehearsal wedding, for God's sake!" She clenched her legs together when he moved his hand towards her, more in a way to restrain her own desires than his, but jumped when he grabbed her hand again.

"Then let me take you on a real date. Tonight." She looked down at where his hand was entwined in her own, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't tingling everywhere because of it. Finn leaned into her more, his stupidly wonderful eyes boring into her own. "We can get to know each other." He smiled, making her weak in the knees. "I swear I won't do anything _questionable_." He promised. Rachel wasn't sure why, but she was kind of hoping that he would. In the privacy of one of their own homes, of course. "Unless you want me too." He added, and she smacked him on the shoulder.

"I don't know," she said, lying through her teeth. She did know. She liked Finn, and he apparently really liked her. But, Jesse was here with her, and she couldn't just ditch him. They really did need to talk, at the very least for Rachel to let him know that their relationship really was over.

Finn squeezed her hand, his face coming ever so closely to her own, "Don't fight this." He spoke so softly, she hardly caught it, but she did, and she was pretty sure that he had some list of cheesy romantic things to say hidden in his back pocket.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Rachel jumped away from Finn, turning in her chair to find Jesse hovering behind her. "Jesse! Hey!" She said in a much too cheerful tone. "Me and Finn were just talking about… About how we're going to pose in the wedding photos, you know, since I'm the Maid of Honor and he's the Best Man." Yes. Good job Rachel. She smiled inwardly and gave herself a mental pat on the back for her quick lie.

"I heard him, Rachel." Well, that would be a bit more difficult to explain. Perhaps Finn was just very adamant on doing a certain pose? Jesse's gaze diverted to Finn, who was looking at the man with an equal amount of disdain. "Are you moving in on my girl, dude?"

Finn's jaw twitched in annoyance and he saw Rachel growing uncomfortable before him. "She's not 'your girl', _dude_. When someone breaks up with you, you kind of lose any claim." He said simply, feeling a twinge of guilt as he completely threw Rachel under the bus by not following her lie. Jesse opened his mouth, but Finn interrupted him, backtracking. "But, no. I'm not. Like Rachel said, we were just talking about how to pose for the pictures." He glanced at her, giving her a quick smile, which she easily returned. He was pretty positive that this was the better route to go than getting into some jealousy battle at a rehearsal dinner. Speaking of which, what exactly were they rehearsing? Finn didn't remember getting a script of any kind.

"Wow, the testosterone here is thicker than Liberace's ego," Santana said, gesturing to Jesse as she pulled her chair out and took her seat.

Finn snorted, earning an angrier glare from Jesse. "Rachel, I think we should go."

"I can't, Jesse. This isn't about me." Rachel dismissed him rather quickly, giving him that calming look she tended to do when he went off on a diva rant. "This day is about Quinn, I can't just leave her."

"Oh, is everything okay between you two?" Quinn asked, appearing before them like a mystical being who showed up when you mentioned their name. "I understand if you guys need to leave and talk about stuff. I'd actually prefer it, considering Puck's new found hatred for you." Quinn said, dead panning a look at Jesse. "You already pretty much known everything anyway, Rachel." She said before smiling and waving quickly at Finn and Santana before hurrying off to finish more changes.

"Does no one ever talk about how emotionally imbalanced she is?" Santana's question went unanswered, which was kind of an answer in itself.

Rachel sighed, looking at Finn whose face was a mask. He was clearly angry, she could tell from his posture, but she really did need to converse with Jesse. Not to mention, what the hell was going on with him and Santana? Yeah, she was a lesbian, but what was the whole thing about her sleeping with him? Was that just a joke or did they do it as a casual thing? She wasn't sure. But, before anything happened between her and Finn, she wanted that question and more answered.

She scooted her chair back, Finn standing immediately with pleading eyes. "Rach."

"I'm going to go home with my _date, _Finn. And while I'm gone, you can think about our _picture plans _and any possible _dates _that you may be considering taking to the wedding_._" Rachel's gaze went to Santana, who looked taken aback at the idea. Well, that was promising. "If you need to get ahold of me, Santana knows my number." She grabbed her jacket off of the back of her chair, slipping it over her arm. "Goodbye, Finn."

She sent him a bright smile, and Finn looked between her and Jesse. "Yeah, alright. Bye, Rachel." He stepped forward, opening his arms for a hug, to which Rachel graciously stepped into. He smelled amazing and his body, like the night before, fit perfectly with her own. She sighed in content, wishing she didn't have to leave, but it needed to be done.

Releasing her grip on him, she began to pull back, only to have Finn drag her back in, breathing out, "Don't forget that you still need to come back to my apartment to pick up what you left behind."

She moved back, utterly confused. What had she left?

Finn smiled mischievously, sitting back down. "You know where to find me if you need anything. I know that life can get a little hard when you're under-" he stopped midsentence, a phony expression that resembled confusion plastered on. Rachel watched him inquisitively. "_Under where? _Wow," he fake laughed, not missing the shock of realization hitting her face. "Not sure where I was going with that. I guess I really do need to start going to bed earlier." Finn smirked then, his eyes not leaving Rachel's.

She knew what he was trying to do. She knew what she had left. Her _underwear._ Her face burned red at the thought of him finding it that morning.

Rachel quickly spun Jesse around, scampering away from the man who was increasingly pulling her heartstrings.

**AN: Well, that was fun, right? Leave a review and pm me guys! I do quite enjoy talking to all of you. Or, message me on tumblr at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr . com and have a great day.**


	6. Chapter 6-College Isn't For everyone

**AN: Sorry for the late update. I slept basically all day. Anyway, we explore two different Rachel's in this chapter, strong Rachel and drunk Rachel, and I like both of them very much! Enjoy.**

Dinner was… Awkward.

Rachel had allowed Jesse to take her to the most expensive restaurant in town, and all she could think about was when they could get the check. He had been on a crusade to prove himself worthy since they sat down, Rachel hardly speaking a word as she had to sit through his endless argument that he was the best for her, and all of the opportunities that he could provide, and how he was amazing, and blah blah blah.

She was bored. Bored and exhausted and really just… Annoyed. She was spending her time with this man who she had once thought herself to be in love with, now only to see what the jerk he really was. How had she ever let it get this far?

"-And I know that the auditions will come back positive, no doubt landing me my dream role, which will once again broaden the horizons for both of us if you are on my arm." Jesse told her, smiling with his pearly white teeth glowing. "Not to mention-"

"Are we going to talk about _us_?" Rachel asked, pushing a tofu meatball on her plate.

Jesse chuckled, reaching across the dimly lit table to caress her hand, somehow making her even more upset that this date, or whatever it was, was occurring. "We have been talking about us." He retorted as if it was the most apparent thing in the world.

"No, _you _have been talking about _you._" Rachel expressed with exasperation, allowing herself to open up. "I want to talk about us. I want to talk about how you cheated on me with your choreographer who's twice your age, and how you blatantly lied to me about it, putting your incredibly talented acting skills to use to trick me into believing you." She took a breath, now seizing enough courage to look him in the eye, hoping that she was emitting all of the rage that she had building up in her body since the day she found out he lied, through his sister's Facebook of all things! "Or how we haven't had sex in three months-"

"Well, that's not my doing-"

"Or the fact that the last compliment you gave me was last Tuesday when you said that my shoes really pay tribute to your outfit." She told him, now holding her hand up as she counted off items. Jesse's eyes were wide as Rachel continued for another few minutes, stopping with a huff and eyes full rage.

He shifted uneasily in his seat, clearing his throat. "You sure are observant." She saw a light flicker in his eyes and knew his next tactic immediately. "That's what first drew me to you, Rachel. How wonderful you are-"

"Stop." Rachel said, holding her hand out. "This wasn't a mistake Jesse." She told him, and he smiled at her. "Us breaking up-"

"Was a mistake? I completely agree. But-"

She cut him off. "Was the smartest move I've ever made in our relationship." Rachel stood from the table, pushing it in behind her. "Which, I can officially say is over. We're through." She held out her hand, palm up, "I'd like my apartment key back, please."

Jesse shook his head, "Rachel, I love you." He told her, and although she had once worshipped those lips and those words, she now had this urge to slap him.

"Key, please."

He gave her one last fleeting look before reaching into his pocket, dropping the golden key with the heart she had engraved on it into her small soft hands. "Can't you just think about this?"

"I have been thinking about this, Jesse. For three weeks I have been wondering if it was something I did to make you go astray!" She practically yelled, drawing attention to them both. But for once in her life, Rachel didn't care about appearances. She wanted to scream in his face and make sure he never came back. "I cried and begged myself to find a way to make you love me again, ripping myself apart while fighting to keep our broken relationship together. But then I realized that it wasn't me. I had nothing to do with you sleeping around. It's _not _my fault that you are an egotistical drama queen who bathes in attention wherever you can get it. And I guess since we were rocky, you weren't getting any from me, so you decided to get it elsewhere. But that is not my fault." Rachel shook her head. "I'm done with you. And I'm done with all of the emotional distress you have put me through. Goodbye, Jesse."

She stormed out, hoping she had enough dignity to at least keep her head held high, but then she heard clapping and a few whistles from the patrons around her. Applause erupted around her, and she looked around as customers turned from their meals, hands slapping together at Rachel's performance.

When she left the building, it felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest, and the world was revolving just as it should. She felt, dare she say it, happy.

* * *

"He's been calling every night?" Rachel and Quinn's friend Tina asked after ordering another drink. It was two days before the wedding, the day of Quinn's bachelorette party. She had originally wanted to just go to the spa and have a relaxing party, but everyone fought the idea and had gotten her to decide on a more… Traditional get-together.

Rachel rolled her eyes, downing another shot of tequila. "He won't stop! It's like he thinks that if he annoys me enough, I'll happily jump back into his arms."

A 'hmph' came from behind them, and Rachel looked over her shoulder to see Mercedes behind them. "I personally am happy for you for ending it, girl. That guy was way too dramatic, even for you." The woman said, reaching across Rachel to grab her own shot. "To being single!" She shouted. Rachel lifted her newly filled glass, clinking it to Mercedes'.

"And those of us who are perfectly happy in their relationships," Tina added, earning several laughs before they all joined in for one more toast, then quickly threw the alcohol back.

They all slammed the empty glasses down, laughing and smiling as the conversation picked up. Rachel was sure tonight was going to be a good night. She had this sweet feeling in her stomach that just told her everything was going to be okay. Ever since she had ended it with Jesse, her days were filled with a lot more joy, but that could be due to the fact that an article was released the next day about how Jesse St James had been relieved of his part as Rolf in The Sound of Music due to a "Public display in a downtown Broadway hub restaurant that left the once superbly promising performer in need of a new profession." The sentence still left an after taste of satisfaction in her mouth.

Her phone buzzed in her purse, bringing a new thought to mind that left her smiling while looking down at the bright screen. The late night phone calls and texts that her and one Finn Hudson had been sharing as of recently were definitely a bonus to being newly single. They had been able to see each other since the Rehearsal dinner, but only in quickies at her house or his own late at night because if she wasn't busy, he was, and neither of them spoke of very emotional things like she wished they did, but they flirted and he was sweet when he wasn't talking about food or games that he had marathoned with Puck.

'_Wait a minute whats the difference between vegetarian and vegan? Does vegan mean you only eat stuff that starts with the letter v?'_

Tina and Mercedes eyed Rachel at her impromptu laugh, to which she explained that Blaine had sent her a corny pun. The two girls immediately lost interest, as she knew they would. If they knew that she was talking to Finn, or any guy at all, her phone would be ripped away and put under lock and key.

'_No. That wouldn't leave me with very many options, now would it?"_

Quinn's arm thumped the bar in front of Rachel. The brunette quickly slipped her phone back into her bag and looked up. "Are you having fun?" She asked the other girl hopefully.

"Where's my drink?" Quinn asked, ignoring Rachel and eyeing the empty counter.

Rachel smiled, turning to the bartender. "Hey Mister, can you get my friend here a shot of…?" Rachel looked over at Quinn.

"Vodka!" Quinn shouted to him. The man nodded, grabbing a shot glass and turning away from them to fill it. "So, what kind of bar is this place anyway? I've never even heard of it."

Tina giggled, already feeling the effects of the alcohol. "It's an entertainment bar!" She offered.

"And damn if it's not entertaining." Mercedes said, sitting down on a chair on the other side of Rachel. The little buzzing noise vibrated the surface, and Rachel quickly snatched up the device, instigating a curious look from Quinn.

"You're not texting someone, are you?" Quinn asked.

Rachel feigned shock, "What? No, of course not. It's just Blaine making sure his outfit for Saturday is correct." The screen lit up, illuminating Rachel's face as she swiped the top of the screen to make Finn's messages appear.

'_Vienna sausages, vanilla ice cream, vinegar… Um. Give me a sec'_

The phone vibrated again.

'_Vapples, vananas, voranges, vchicken, vunior bacon cheese burger, very valuable vegetable vines. I don't know, Rach I think this could be a new way of living. I just named like a full week of meals that start with v'_

She stifled her need to laugh at the text. Her fingers quickly flew across the keyboard on her phone, rapidly producing a message so that she wouldn't get caught.

'_The very fact that you listed vinegar as a food item is enough to negate your entire message. But, if you must know, being a vegan means I don't eat any animal products. Meat, milk, eggs, things of that respect.'_

Quinn looked at Rachel questioningly, wondering what she was up to, when the lights dimmed down.

"If you would all take your seats, we have quite the special surprise for you tonight!" A voice announced cheerfully through the PA system. Quinn looked back at her friends, but all they did was smile back at her. She was about to ask them what the hell was going on, when the voice came back on. "We have a special guest in here tonight, ladies and gentlemen. If you would all welcome our bride to be, Quinn Fabray!"

The three girls exploded into fits of laughter when Quinn heard her name. She was confused. Confused and angry. God, she hated surprises. She had even forced Puck's proposal out of him because she noticed that he was acting strange.

"Come on, Quinn. We're all waiting on you!" The voice persuaded, and Mercedes kicked Quinn's butt, knocking her forward a bit. She scowled at the woman before cautiously taking steps toward the stage where a loan chair sat, waiting for her.

"Woo! Go Quinn!" Rachel said, throwing back yet another shot. This was going to be a long night.

Eyes searching for any sign of danger, Quinn settled daintily into the wooden chair. The crowd slowly faded into silence, and Quinn couldn't help but feel like some sort of Carrie moment was coming. This sort of thing wasn't supposed to happen to her. Rachel, maybe, but never Quinn. She was the cheerleader. The prom queen. Quinn began to stand and leave the stage, but stopped at the sudden out cry of the crowd.

She heard footsteps behind her, and turned to see a man in an all-black suit handing her a sash and a cheap veil. She placed them on her body wearily, watching him walk back into a room. Her gaze searched the crowd, slightly blinded by the spotlight, when she found her friends. She lifted her hands in question, and Rachel held up her finger, letting her know that she'd be finding out soon.

"Now that we have our victim, it's time to send out our predators! Ladies and gentlemen, prepare your bills for our infamous group, the Stiff Willies!" The crowd applauded and cheered, leaving Quinn the only one unaware of what was about to happen. She heard some music fill the air, hearing the sound of stomping behind her. She twisted in her chair and was met with the image of 8 men coming to her, each one shirtless, and each one performing a pelvic thrust.

"Oh my god!" She squealed, holding her hand over her mouth. One man separated from the group, his blonde hair slicked back on the sides, but what stood out to her the most was his lips. They were huge. Like, you could cradle a baby with those things.

His hands slid down his body, which wasn't half bad, before he leaned down, tearing the fabric away completely, leaving a leopard thong beneath. Quinn shook her head, unable to process it. He fell to his knees before her, the lower half of his body grinding into the floor, and Quinn couldn't help but laugh. Dollars flew passed her and rained on the stripper, but all she could think of was the prayer she sent to the man upstairs that Puck didn't find out.

"That guy is _hot_." Mercedes said, holding her drink up to cool her face.

Rachel laughed wholeheartedly, which was becoming more and more insufferable the more alcohol she took into her body.

She glanced down, just in time for the screen to light up.

'_Thats a thing? Well ok. But what do you eat for Christmas and Thanksgiving and other holidays?'_

Rachel had wondered when it would come up, and although she wasn't usually one to skirt around her religion, Finn seemed really excited about Christmas, even with it being three months away. But, she was feeling tipsy, if not full blown drunk, and so she let her fingers hit the keys before her conscious mind had any say.

'_I eat regular meals on Christmas because I was raised jewish. im not even really sure what people eat on Christmas.'_

Ham was a safe bet. For some reason, people always eat ham on holidays. Not her family of course, but she'd seen enough on television to know that it was a popular thing to do. That and have relatives get drunk and admit to terrible things. That, she _did _know from personal experience.

One time during Thanksgiving dinner, her aunt Terri had blabbered about how she had actually gotten Rachel's cousin from a high school girl who got pregnant out of wedlock. Turns out that this was the first her uncle Will had heard of this. They got divorced soon after, and now uncle Will is married to a nice woman named Emma, but the fight that had ensued left the Berry family emotional scarred and now there is a regular pat down before family gatherings to check for alcohol.

We won't even speak about the time Rachel's father, Hiram, found a taped up hand gun.

A wave of nervousness swept over Rachel as the minutes ticked by and she got no reply from Finn. Was he upset that she was Jewish? Maybe she should have mentioned it sooner, and she would have, but it just never came up. '_Or, maybe he's just busy,' _the voice of reason in her head supplied. Yes, that had to have been it. Finn wasn't a bigot.

Or, maybe he was.

How would she know? She'd barely spoken to him beyond pillow talk, which usually consisted of him telling her how great she was before passing out in his pillow. Maybe he was a closet prejudice person. What if he hated gays too? Her best friend is gay! She had two gay dads!

Rachel sat in her chair, mind racing at all of the possibilities. Blaine was much more important to her than some guy. All of her beliefs were more important to her. If he couldn't respect that, well then she could find someone else. Hopefully.

A squeal of what she hoped to be delight shook her from her overdramatic thoughts, bringing her instead to the blonde girl swinging around to the music in front of her. She was happy Quinn was having fun. The blonde was now dancing among the array of men, slipping money from her pockets into the tiny strings that held all of their most precious commodities.

Tina was hanging over the counter, her laughter filling the air as she watched the scene before her, Mercedes soon joining in. Rachel watched the two of them cling to one another, laughing over absolutely nothing, which made her laugh. Why was she laughing? Who knows! Who cares! She looked up to see Quinn coming to her, a male stripper trailing behind.

"This is my friend, Rachel." Quinn said, and the stripper nodded as if they had some sort of plan. Which they did, Rachel learned as the man walked up to her, holding her face in his hands as his penis that was barely contained started brushing against her.

Rachel looked up at the man with wonder. How did he get his job? Was he trying to pay for college? Did his family know that right now, their baby boy was rubbing his manhood up against a random lady in a bar? What would Finn say?

She decided that if her son did this, she would definitely have a good talk with him. She wanted to make sure that she was financially stable so that her kids never had to go through such a degrading career. Unless it was enjoyable. Having women throwing money at you to be naked probably wasn't such a horrible thing to a guy. He probably has more money than she does, so maybe he can finally go to college!

It was strange, but pride rose deep in her chest for the guy. He was making it in the world. Now, she needed to follow in his footsteps. Well, perhaps not something as specific as his footsteps, but at least in the same direction.

These thoughts led her to many more, and soon, Rachel was mapping out her entire future as this stripper slid and thrust himself at her.

"I'm Rachel Berry, it's very nice to meet you!" Rachel spoke/yelled, her tongue slipping on 'nice'. She attempted to hold her small hand out in front of her for him to shake, but he was rubbing against her and it left very little room, so in her drunken stupor, she simply patted his back like a pleased father.

The man looked at her over his shoulder, a smile on his large lips. "Sam Evans. Nice to meet you too."

"Are you able to go to college now?" Rachel blurted, pulling her drink towards her and slurping noisily from her makeshift bendy straw.

Sam's eyes swam in confusion, and he just shook his head. Rachel felt her stomach drop. Could he still not afford it? She felt her heart break. Rachel reached into her pocket, pulling out a fifty and slipping it into the waist band of his pants after he ignored her trying to hand it to him as regular humans do.

He left soon after, going to a beckoning Mercedes and they both hit it off well. Mercedes with her hands on his butt, and the stripper was laughing and giving the woman what Rachel believed to be called a "lap dance". Rachel was happy for them. She knew Mercedes had been lonely recently, so perhaps this could be a new start for her.

Suddenly, Rachel felt this enormous urge to pee, so she jumped off of the stool and made her way, rather wobbly, to the bathroom.

She peed in silence, no one else there, and left the stall, only to see a little patch on the wall. It was a cloth that could be lifted, and Rachel read the words "The Gloriest of Holes" on the wall above it. She tilted her head, completely unaware as to what that could be. So, allowing curiosity to get the best of her, she took tentative steps forward and grabbed the material, lifting it up.

**AN: Drunk Rachel honestly makes me so happy. She's just so worried about everyone's well being and it cracked me up the entire time writing it. I hope all of you found this to your liking! As always, review and pm me because you guys are amazing and very sweet. If you'd like to suggest a prompt to write about or just want to talk, you can also message me on tumblr at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr . com. Have a great day!**


	7. Chapter 7-Not Like This

**AN: You guys are so awesome! Thank you for all of the reviews. I'd say we're about half way through the story at this point. I'm going to say that things are going to get bad soon. If you want, you can message me what you think might happen? I'd love to hear your theories. Anyway, as always, enjoy!**

Quinn was on the phone with Puck when she heard a scream, her body woozy as she swung around, seeing Rachel run out of the bathroom, her hands covering her eyes. Quinn sighed, "Rachel's even worse off than me! Who told us this was a good idea? Why on Earth is this a stupid tradition?" She practically yelled into the phone.

"Quinn, babe, calm down. You know you get pissed when you drink." He told her, attempting to calm the ever escalating situation.

"I won't! My best friend is running around like a crazy person! It's embarrassing! I don't want her riding with us, Puck. Find her a different ride." She said, not leaving any room for argument. "I got a lap dance from a stripper, and I really want the last man to touch me tonight to be you, so her being in the car probably wouldn't be a good thing anyway." She added, calm cool and collected.

Puck sucked in air, "I'll find her a ride." Quinn tapped the End Call button and turned back to where her friend was, laughs and sobs wracking her body.

"I didn't think there was going to be a huge boy genital beneath it!" Rachel cried out, Tina's laugh becoming even more obnoxious than before.

Mercedes sat beside the blonde male stripper from earlier, who also seemed entertained with Rachel's story. "You've never heard of a glory hole?" Sam asked, and Rachel shook her head, her big eyes wide with childish innocence.

Quinn stood in front of them, letting a laugh slip from her lips. "You're so stupid sometimes, Rachel."

Rachel looked up at her friend, and Tina's laughs came to a stop. "That was incredibly rude, Quinn." Rachel told her matter-of-factly, fixing her slouching posture.

"Well you know what else is rude? You getting hammered at _my _bachelorette party!" Quinn yelled, her fist clenching at her sides. "Not everything has to be about you!" Her voice had raised a few octaves, and she felt the urge to just scream at the top of her lungs, but she was pretty sure that all of that air would make her pass out.

The petite brunette with a larger than normal nose let her mouth hang open, just in utter shock that Quinn would say something so harsh, but then recalled who she was speaking to. "Why do you always get so angry when you're drunk? You have such a good life. You're about to get married. You have a loving fiancé. I don't see what you have to be so upset about."

"Yeah, why _do _you get so angry? All of us are hammered." Tina inquired, sipping from a straw what Quinn assumed was more alcohol.

Quinn raised her hands in frustration and Mercedes whispered to the big lipped stripper, "It's about to get white-girl crazy up in here."

"A good life? Oh, please. Just because I don't have a cheating boyfriend who would rather be with a senior citizen than me doesn't mean that I don't have a hard life, alright?" She ranted, not noting the plain injured look on Rachel's face.

She slouched in her chair in utter disbelief that Quinn would bring that up. She had told her that in confidence, and yet here she was, throwing it out there in such a horrible way. "That's no one else's business." Rachel whispered.

"You made it everyone's business, Rachel! You make everything everyone's business! You're a stupid attention hog, and although you and Jesse seem like the perfect couple, you couldn't even keep him. How gross do you have to be to drive your boyfriend into the arms of a wrinkly old lady?" Quinn yelled, and now the whole club was looking at them. Good! She wanted them to see it. Maybe now Rachel Berry would know her place in the world. The place of being the underdog.

Tina sat up. "You're being really mean right now." She said to Quinn, as if it was some big secret.

"And you're being annoying." Quinn replied, lifting her eyebrows to challenge the other girl. Tina leaned back, not wanting to taunt her.

Forget being kind. Rachel had been nothing but kind to Quinn! "Why do you always do this? I've been helping you plan your wedding since February! Even with all of your bitching," Tina and Mercedes gasped at Rachel Berry cussing. "I always just looked passed it. Even when you called me man-hands for most of freshman year!" Rachel stuttered, her finger coming up to point at Quinn. "You're a mean girl!"

"Oh, wow Rachel. How am I ever going to be able to get over that one?" Quinn asked, and Rachel's face turned smug, not catching the clear sarcasm in her drunken haze.

* * *

Puck put on his coat as he left the game stop a few blocks down the road from Quinn. It was a great place to lay low while Quinn and her friends got drunk since she was definitely going to need a ride, and the game stop was having a massive Halo contest which he was totally into.

But, he still needed to find Berry a ride home. Quinn didn't usually do it with him in a car, but he had a really good feeling about tonight, and he'd be damned if Rachel freaking Berry was the one to make it not come true. It wasn't that he would mind letting her join and stuff, since Rachel was kind of hot in like a sneaky way, but Quinn was super jealous and didn't like to share her Puckzilla.

He was pulling out of the parking lot, cutting off an old lady who started honking at him like a crazy person, when he got an idea. He pulled his phone out of the front of his pants- The safest place he could think of for it- and found the only contact he knew he could rely on.

"Better pick up," he muttered, holding the phone to his ear. It rang several times before the voice came through the other line.

"What's up, man?"

"Bro, I need a big ass favor." He slammed his foot down on the gas, trying to make it through a yellow light. It turned red, but he was already committed.

The other voice sighed, and Puck could hear him pausing what he assumed was a game. "What is it? I finally beat the boss I've been stuck on for the last three days and was kind of hoping to get through with this game before Monday."

"You beat it? Kick ass, dude." Puck drove through an intersection, squealing breaks and honks trailing behind him. No cop, no stop. "Quinn wants to do it in the car tonight, but there's a problem."

The voice became a little panicked. "Do you… Do you need me to join or something? Because, we're close and I respect you, but I don't do that-"

"What? No dude!" Puck made a quick disgusted noise. "If it ever came to that, you'd be my first choice, but I like the ladies too much, and they like me." Puck joined in on the laughter that erupted through the phone, continuing when it died down. "The thing is Quinn's friend is with her and she needs a ride home." Puck knew that it was a slim chance his friend would say yes, but he really needed this. He'd been dying to put his new leather seats to good use, and what better way than to bang his really hot fiancée on them? "Do you remember Rachel Berry from the other night?"

* * *

"Quinn, I really think you need to calm down," Mercedes practically shouted, attempting to be heard over the noise of Rachel's drunken mumblings and Quinn's loud angry shouting. She was currently standing between the two, her hands on Quinn's shoulders to keep her off of Rachel. "I get you're pissed and more power to you, but this really isn't the place or time for that."

Quinn turned her fury on the woman who was blocking her way now, her face getting way too close. "Don't get me started on you, Chubs!"

"Oh, hell no!" Mercedes screeched, yanking Quinn down by her hair. Rachel and Tina began yelling and screaming incoherently. "What the hell did you just say to me?"

Sam, who was now dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt, pulled Mercedes away from Quinn, telling her that he would take her home. They walked off, and Quinn looked back at Rachel. "I'm not done with you. You think I don't know-"

"I think that's enough," Puck said, wrapping his arms around Quinn. The blonde turned her wrath on him, pointing her finger in his face as she forced him to walk backwards, his hands up in the air in surrender while they made their way to the exit.

"What about me!?" Rachel yelled when she realized that they were leaving her. She quickly grabbed her purse, trying to find where in the hell she put that darn wallet of hers, when a hand came over her own.

"I've got it," the deep, familiar voice said. Rachel let her inebriated gaze trail up the body before her, stopping when she came to those beautiful, beautiful eyes.

Rachel leaned on the counter, a smile gracing her features. Albeit a goofy drunken smile, but a happy one. "Finn." She said like a prayer.

He couldn't help but return her smile. "Hey, Rach."

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked, lifting her drink back to her lips, only to have Finn gently take it from her. "Hey, that's mine!" She pouted.

Finn ordered a glass of water, handing it to her. "I know, and you totally should have it since it's yours and all, but everyone's starting to leave soon, and Puck called me and asked if I could give you a ride."

"Oh." Rachel said, looking down. "I thought you used our magical attraction to one another to seek me out, sensing that other men had been rubbing themselves against me."

Rough hands caressed her face, and Rachel couldn't help but think about how much more she liked Finn touching her like this than that stripper who couldn't get into college. "Someone was rubbing themselves against you?" He asked through gritted teeth.

Rachel lifted up, placing a sweet, alcohol induced kiss on his lips. "Don't worry, Finn. I would have much rather it be you." She told him, her hands sliding up his chest.

"Alright, I think it's time we get you home." Finn said, handing the man a hundred, reminding Rachel of her inner rant earlier about becoming financially stable, and grabbing Rachel's purse, his other hand slipping around her small waist.

"Aren't you Puck's best friend?" Tina asked, wobbling her way over. Rachel saw her boyfriend Mike trying to help her, but Tina kept pushing him away. "Are you and Rachel, like, together?" Tina attempted to whisper, but it came out louder than her usual talking.

Finn rubbed the back of his neck, "Puck just asked me to take her home." Was his only response.

Rachel, on the other hand, felt differently about the subject. "Well, we sleep together, so whatever you want to call that." She told Tina, whose mouth fell agape. "Don't tell anyone, but he's the best I've ever had." She nodded, agreeing with herself.

Despite his rising ego, Finn knew that she would be angry with herself for saying even that in the morning, so he smiled down at her, waved goodbye to the couple, and pulled her through the building. "Did you bring your key?" He asked, leading her to his car. Rachel leisurely strolled behind him, feeling on top of the world.

"Let's go to your place." She commented.

Shaking his head, Finn opened the passenger door for her, holding out his hand to assist her in getting in. "No, I don't think that's the best idea."

She halted, her fingers just inches from his grasp. "You don't want me?" Finn looked at her, what with her eyes entranced by him, calling to him.

He stretched his hand out further, but she moved hers away. Groaning, he stepped back. "Rachel, of course I want you." She smiled at that, starting to walk forward. "But, I want you when you're sober and not going to regret it the next day, or even worse, forget it happened and hate me."

"Prove it," she stated, stepping closer to him. He saw the look in her eye then, the look of pure determination. A look he was becoming more and more acquainted with. He started to shake his head again, but Rachel stopped him, her fingers opening wide along his chest. She leaned forward, kissing his neck. "Prove you want me."

Finn felt his pants tightening, noting that she got him going way faster than any other girl he had ever been with. But, this was still wrong. "Call me in the morning, and I'll prove whatever you want me to." Her eyes widened, and she stood still, trying to figure if that was a good enough response.

He knew she accepted his response when she held out her key, dangling it in front of him to show him that she had it before putting it back in her purse. He helped her into the car, then got in the driver's seat and handed her a water bottle. She thanked him, staring at him as he turned the ignition and put the car in drive, pulling away from the building. Her eyes stayed on him most of the way there, but he saw in his peripheral as she leaned against the window, eyes fighting to stay awake.

When he pulled into the parking garage adjacent to the building, Rachel was sleeping peacefully in his passenger seat, lips parted and her hand against the cold window to brace her from the hard glass. Finn grinned to himself, turning off the engine and walking around to the other side of the car. He gently opened the door, but she didn't seem to notice, sliding down as he opened it further. He used his knee to hold the door in place as he bent down, grabbing Rachel and pushing her further into the seat.

When she was seated like a normal human being, her scooped her up into his arms, gently nudging his door shut. The door man who Finn now knew to be named Charles opened the door for him, only dismissing Finn's hushed apologies and gratitude. Charles smiled at the sight of the two of them and walked quickly to catch the elevator.

He told the man fourth floor, and they ascended further into the building. Finn smiled and thanked him once again as he left the elevator, turning and walking to the door when he recalled he didn't have the key. Damn. He really didn't want to wake her up. But, it couldn't be helped.

"Rachel." Finn softly whispered. She stirred, and he shook her gently. Her eyes opened slowly, and she grinned when she saw Finn.

"My knight in shining armor." She murmured, slurring ever so often. Finn chuckled.

"We're at your apartment, but I need your key to get in." He told her. Rachel only nodded, moving her hand from around his neck and twisting slightly in his grasp to find her purse. When she did, she slipped her hand inside and pulled out a golden key with a heart engraved in the middle.

"It was Jesse's." She muttered, nudging her head into the crevice between his neck and shoulder. Finn felt his stomach sink when he heard the man's name, but the more he thought about it, the more excited he became. She had clearly taken the key back. Did that mean she had officially broken up with him? He wished they would talk about more emotional things when they were together, mainly because he really wanted to be with her, but he wasn't sure if she wanted him for anything more than sex.

He used the key to open the door, then shut it behind him as they walked in.

Her apartment was so… Her. No, he might know her that well, but from the past month they had been… Friends? Friends with benefits? He knew she was controlling and girly, which was represented in the house so much. Her couch had pink pillows and everything was in the perfect place. The remotes were lined up on the coffee table, and he wondered whether or not she would notice if he moved one.

Rachel stirred in his arms, and so he quickly made his way to her familiar bedroom. Finn smoothly made the transition from his arms to the bed, Rachel twisting into a comfortable position into the pillows. He lifted his hand to put the key on the nightstand beside her, but her voice made him pause. "Keep it." She told him, and he thought he heard wrong.

"What?"

"Keep it." Rachel repeated, her eyes slightly open. "It doesn't belong to anyone else anymore, and I'd like it if you had it." Finn looked at her like she was crazy. They had only known each other for a little more than a month! "I don't mean to be some crazy person, it's just that I like the thought of knowing that you could show up here at any time of the day." She told him, her teeth now showing in her sloppy grin.

Finn lifted the key, holding it to his chest. "I'll take good care of it." When she nodded, he bent down, kissing her forehead. "Goodnight, Rach."

Her tiny hand gripped his forearm. "Stay the night."

He let out an exasperated breath, pulling away from her. "I already told you, Rachel. Not while you're drunk." Rachel was definitely a clingy drunk, and although Finn was usually incredibly put off by that, with Rachel, he just found her even more adorable.

"I'm not talking about having sex, Finn Hudson." Rachel said, surprising him with her sudden forwardness. But, then again, she was completely off her ass drunk, so nothing she says should surprise him.

"Then what _do _you mean, Rachel Berry?"

She put a hand on his shoulder, scooting over as she pulled him down to the bed. "Just sleep with me." Well, that still sounded pretty sketchy to him, but he let her guide him into the bed anyway, toeing off his shoes. "Just get comfortable," she told him with a certain calmness that he never expected her to possess. He was trying to do just that when she leaned forward, tearing off her dress shirt and kicking off the skirt, leaving her in only her underwear. It definitely didn't help when she curled into his side, her skin pressed against his own, or against his clothes, making him slightly pissed off that she was going to torture him knowing that he wouldn't touch her when she was drunk, but really he was only pissed off at himself for having so little control.

Although he soon became aware of the fact that she didn't even know she was doing it when she laid her head on his shoulder, soft snores filling the night air. Finn found himself just lying there, listening to the sound she released and feeling like it was lullaby.

Oh no. Oh no, oh no. No, no, no, _no_, **no**! This couldn't be happening. Not this soon! Finn wanted to leave. His body was telling him to get the hell out of there, and fast. Well, not his whole self, but a part of it. Like, 30%.

Rachel rolled, her arm lying across his chest and her legs burrowing between his own, pulling herself even further into him. Okay, so more like 15%.

But, he knew what was happening. Well, he actually didn't, but he had felt something like this before, it just wasn't this strong, and it took about two months longer to form. Though he couldn't exactly dictate it, it was just one of those things that happened kind of without you even knowing. Perhaps it wasn't as strong as he currently thought it was? Only thing to do is to brush it off and wait until the possibility of her feeling it too.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, cuddling her into him. He never thought he'd say this, but he was actually glad that they were cuddling instead having sex. He groaned at how lame that sounded. It was more intimate than a quickie, and he increasingly found himself wanting to be intimate with Rachel. It was kind of disconcerting, if he was being completely honest.

Finn fell asleep with his head nuzzled above hers, wondering when he was going to be able to talk to Rachel about this feeling in his stomach.

**AN: Alright, so that was pretty cute. But, like I said earlier, something wicked this way comes. Feel free to review! Message me your theories on what's going to happen here or on tumblr at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr . com. Have an awesome day!**


	8. Chapter 8-Breakfast of Champions

**AN: Oh man, I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a few days. Holidays are crazy and I kind of lost the motivation to edit the chapter, my finchel heart just no longer in the game. But, then I went through the tag on tumblr, and I felt my heart tugging, and now I'm back! Also, to make it up to all of you, I made this chapter extra long, adding the original chapter 8 and the original chapter 9 together. Oh, there's a bit of SMUT. Enjoy.**

The severe pounding in Rachel's head, ripping through like a tornado on a rampage, forced her to wake up. Albeit in a groggy and unaware state, but she was awake. She was awake and she was hating every minute of it. Her stomach felt sick and her eyes felt like someone was pushing their thumbs into the back of them, attempting to pop them out of her skull.

That couldn't actually happen though, right?

Of course not, Rachel. Are you still intoxicated?

Probably.

Afraid to open her eyes, she relied on her other senses to give her some clues as to what was happening in the world around her. Thankfully everything smelled like her room, so she wasn't too worried, although she was known to be an incredibly clingy drunk, so who knows what – or who- she did last night.

Drunk… Oh, yes. That's right. She had gotten quite impaired at Quinn's bachelorette party last night.

The whole ordeal was kind of blurry to her, not completely gone but not completely there either, although some images came back to her. Strippers. Glory holes. Quinn being incredibly rude. That's about it, really.

Oh, and Finn.

Her eyes burst open, the light nearly blinding her and completely murdering her brain with intense pain, but that was hardly important right now. Finn. She recalled asking him to have sex with her last night, and him telling her no, because he didn't want to take advantage of her.

Rachel lifted her hand and held it against her forehead because _Jesus Christ _she was literally _swooning_. He was too good to be true. She really didn't know how she could be so lucky to have made a friend out of possibly the greatest guy she had ever met, but she did, and Rachel was finding herself falling in- Wait. No. It was way too early for that, right? And they weren't even dating! Perhaps she was still drunk. This was the drunk clingy Rachel talking.

She sighed, thinking about him as she rolled over in her bed. His smile, his eyes, how protective he is over her, how his hand feels when it's pressed against her lower back, supporting her. It was no surprise when her lips curved into a smile, stretching out among the bed with eyes closed, lost in a fantasy of shirtless Finn riding a horse, when flesh met flesh. Like a genie granted her wish to sedate her neediness or some other divine intervention, her hand had landed on another chest.

Rachel's eyes slid up from the broad torso cautiously, fearful of who she would find, but was more than just a little bit relieved when she saw the lovely splatters of freckles across the beautiful man's cheeks.

But, why was he in her bed?

"Good morning," Finn mumbled, turning his head so that his eyes now watched her as well.

Rachel felt a heat rise in her body. He was in her house, in her room, in her bed. Suddenly, her legs squeezed together. "Good morning." She squeaked in reply, trying to hide the desire in her voice. But, she had a feeling Finn knew her better than that, even if he didn't really know her that well.

His eyes seemed to darken with something she couldn't explain as he spoke, "Do you remember what you said to me last night?"

She cringed, small hands once more covering her face as she recalled a few things he could be talking about. "I wish I didn't."

"After that." His husky laugh made her chest rise and fall rapidly, his finger lifting to trail from her jaw to her chin. "Something about proving something to you."

Rachel thought back to their recent conversation, fighting through the haze and pain so that she may go through all of the things she said about proving, and remember that they had also been about her wanting sex. "Another occurrence that I believe we should both eradicate from memory." She replied, keeping her eyes shut.

"What about what I said after that? Do you want to forget that too?" Finn questioned, his warm fingers now playing along her collarbone.

Hmm. This would be a tough one. She tried and tried, only pulling up blanks. "Not partic- Oh." Oh yes, she did remember. Quite well.

"_Call me in the morning, and I'll prove whatever you want me to."_

Rachel opened her eyes, but Finn was already just a few unnecessary inches away, his lips taunting her. "I guess you don't really need to call me now that I'm already here," he joked, one side of his lip tilting. She yanked his head down, mouths slamming and colliding into one another like their own personal Big Bang. Rachel gripped his hair, rolling on her side to meet him half way. His tongue slicked along her bottom lip, and she graciously parted her lips, letting him commandeer anything of hers that he wanted.

"I should," Rachel spoke, her lips hovering above his. Finn shook his head, not wanting her to finish, and reattached his open mouth to hers. "Take a", she tried again, but with the same outcome. "Shower." She moaned as his hand gripped the back of her neck.

"Why?" He asked, grinning down at her. Rachel had to restrain herself from pushing his cute smug face away.

Instead, she used that very hand to touch her arm, "Because, _Finn. _I'm dirty." She spoke as if it were obvious, although Finn was pretty positive that she was cleaner than he was. Then again, this _was _Rachel they were talking about. He was still waiting for her to notice he had pushed the remote into another spot.

Finn sat up on his elbows, his grin widening a fraction before his eyes drug themselves along her body beneath him. "What's the point of taking a shower if you're just going to be getting dirty again right after?"

"I won't be-" Lips broke her off, tongue slipping in, grinding against her own. She accidentally bit his lip when she felt his rough fingers on the outside of her underwear. He smiled into the kiss, getting up on his knees as he deepened it, sliding his hand beneath the waist band of her underwear.

Finn felt on top of the world. This girl was super hot and incredible, and she wanted him. Him of all people. The dumb football jock who used to throw slushies at students just to be popular. The guy who no one thought would leave the small town of Lima, Ohio. Yet, here this person was, allowing him to wake up in her bed. To kiss her. To hang out with her.

He hadn't always had the best luck with women. In fact, many could tell you that he had the worst luck with them, like the cheerleader he had dated for three years in high school because she was hot and he was actually kind of scared that if they broke up, she'd either kill him or he would lose his place as the leader in school. Or the girl he had dated more recently who was so emotionally manipulative that he wasn't really sure what actually happened and what was just lies. Or the dozens and dozens in between.

But, he really did like Rachel. It wasn't something that he had been tricked into, or was being taunted to continue, he wanted to be there with her, and that was completely new to him. And screw the rest of the universe if it thought he was going to let it go.

Sure that he knew what she liked now, Finn stroked and petted her in all the right ways, turning her into a pile of goo on the bed beneath him. How he always seemed to have her whaling and whimpering within seconds was beyond her, but she was, and she loved every minute of it.

"Oh, Finn." She whined. The weirdly tall man kissed her harder in response, pressing more firmly into her nub as he circled it. Her lips broke away from his, gasping over his shoulder into the cold morning, heavy pants escaping her mouth as her chest heaved. "Yes! Harder! Oh oh, ah!" Rachel dug her blunt nails into Finn's back as he picked up speed, gradually getting more and more rough, and although she had doubts before, she liked it. She wanted him to be a little malicious with her.

"_Finn,_" She huffed out, his ear adjacent to her mouth. "I want you."

His voice emanated in a guttural cry, the harsh material of his jeans relentlessly grounding down into her. Rachel no longer sought any barriers, and so she hastily undid the button and slid down the zipper, using her feet to kick off his jeans and boxers. She elevated her core rapidly, the pulsating area now dripping and ready. She felt the hardness rub her center and virtually shrieked.

Finn sat up on one elbow, reaching down to station himself, or so she presumed. But he brought his length forward slowly, only to miss the hole entirely while rubbing himself along her the inside of her lips, creating a delicious friction. Eyes rolling to the back of her head, Rachel bit her lip and moaned. She had no idea how he was able to have so much control (weren't guys usually bad when it came to stuff like that?), but unfortunately, she did not.

He hadn't expected her to grab him roughly, holding him as she slid herself onto him, but the grunt that escaped him rivaled the harsh sirens of the New York streets. She had already created a rhythm, a smooth in and out for him that surely would do the trick, but Finn didn't want her to think he was always into the same stuff and get bored with him.

When he and Santana had slept together the first and only time, she had told him she wasn't sure whether they had just had sex or she had threw a sack of potatoes down there and humped it. Honestly, at first Finn had been really confused with the whole analogy she created and was wondering where the potatoes were, and if they could cook them because sex made him kind of hungry. But, Finn wasn't an idiot, and soon he got it. He understood that vanilla missionary wasn't the only kind of sex.

He was about to prove that to Rachel Berry.

At first, the placement of his hands seemed completely normal to Rachel. They were supporting his weight, anchored into the bed beside her, and so she completely neglected them because, well… She had _other things _going on at the moment. But, then they were on her sides, and then beneath her, and soon enough, she didn't feel the bed under her at all. The scenery was swirling, and she gathered that he had picked her up, but why?

The look on Rachel's face was enough to make Finn laugh whole-heartedly. She really was cute.

He successfully made it to his targeted area without dropping her or tripping and falling, so that was a win. She landed on the hard surface with a clunk, her head falling back and lightly hitting the wall. Not so much of a win. "Oh god, Rach. I'm so sorry." Finn moved forward to check her head.

"It's okay- Mmmn." Her voice broke off with his movement. He was still inside of her, and even with her head throbbing, the pleasure was, if not more, present. Finn was smiling, but she could still see the worried look in his eyes. "Do it again." She demanded, voice barely audible, but he heard.

He picked up the rhythm that was previously lost, electricity shocking through them with the new feelings. Clearly he had made a good call.

What had started off slow and beautiful quickly transcended into a hungry lustful event, bodies pounding into one another, thriving with ecstasy and lust. Mouth crushing kisses, slapping flesh, moans and screams the melded together with the burning sunlight of the morning. He was gripping her ankle, holding it tightly as he held the leg out and collided with her body.

It all proved too much for Rachel as she came with a loud squeal, her arms squeezing the skin of Finn's back while burying her head in his shoulder.

Finn followed soon after, releasing himself, then leaning over her and breathing heavily into her soft, strawberry scented hair.

"I believe you have proved your point," Rachel attempted to speak normally, but the rasp in her voice was unavoidable. Finn stepped away from her, taking a seat on the bed as he tried to catch his breath.

He looked too serious. Finn Hudson should never look that serious unless he had just lost a video game. He _definitely _shouldn't look that serious after they had just got done having sex. Great sex, too. Great _rough _sex.

"If this is about protection, I'm on the pill." She spoke quickly, reverting back to her usual rambling ways. "I wouldn't risk becoming an unwed mother, and I'm definitely not the kind of woman to trap a man into staying with me by using a child. Although, if something like that occurs, I assure you that I will be keeping it, and I won't even consider-"

"What are we doing?" He asked, cutting her off before she could dive into the topic of abortion.

Rachel glanced at him, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Didn't your parents ever talk to you about the birds and the bees, Mr. Hudson?"

She didn't expect the stern look that graced his boyish features. "You know what I mean, Rachel. What are we?" Honestly? She didn't know. In fact, she thought she was going to have to be the one to ask that, so she was going to wait until she was sure he was more comfortable with her. This entire time, she had been under the impression that he didn't want anything more from her, and while that made her heart ache in so many ways, she was willing to continue just to be with him.

Maybe, for once in her life, Rachel Barbra Berry had been wrong?

"I don't know, Finn." Rachel responded. He looked away from her, a stabbing pain ripping through her chest. She didn't want to hurt him, that wasn't what she intended. She slipped off of the table he had put her on, landing gracefully on the floor before stepping towards him cautiously. "But I want to find out." Finn's head lifted, his eyes that just seemed so much like the pure unadulterated mountains she had climbed with her fathers when she was younger coming back into view. Thank goodness.

She was maybe a foot in front of him before he finally spoke. "Me too." His hands lifted, slipping to their rightful place on her hips and drummed softly on her warm flesh. He broke the sweet moment by yanking her down onto his lap, that trademark smile that hung the moon planted on his lips.

Rachel brushed the back of her hand across his stubble, wondering how this was possible, knowing it had to be too good to be true. She leaned in, kissing his lips that tasted like aged wine and affection and a hint of… Chicken?

The moment was so good that when the doorbell rang, they both collectively and wordlessly decided to deny it their attention.

He had a goofy grin, one that Rachel would have usually thought was only saved for beautiful women, like Quinn. But right then, she could see that she was, for the second time in her life, incorrect. That smile was for her, and damn if it didn't make her feel beautiful. Screw Quinn and her wonderful cheek bones. Rachel Berry was pretty too. Even if it was only to Finn, hell, she was _glad _it was only to Finn. As long as she thought she was beautiful and Finn thought she was beautiful, who else mattered?

But, then the doorbell rang again, and again, and _oh well I'll be darned, _**again.** Rachel stood, masking her growing anger- which quickly dissipated whenever Finn threw his hands in the air shouting "They better be glad I can't carry a weapon naked!"- and grabbed a new pair of underwear and a shirt that looked much too familiar to her wonderfully large companion, raising her eyebrows suggestively before walking out of the room.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting. Perhaps a package, maybe something from her dads, maybe even Blaine or a groveling apologetic Quinn Fabray, begging for her forgiveness on her knees. Those all seemed like acceptable possibilities, some more befitting than others.

What she did not, what she could not, have expected was the bouquet of roses that were hanging from the teenage boy in the weird red and white outfit before her.

"Delivery from Mr. St. James." He said, his voice cracking half way through, Rachel regretfully spotting the piece of food stuck in his braces.

"Um, thank you." She held her hands out, and the boy gave her the flowers, staring at her through his long curly hair. "What?" Her voice was harsh, and she found herself feeling guilty when he blinked several times, whimpering something unintelligible and scampered off.

Rachel wasn't sure what upset her more. The fact that she was about to have to bring in a bouquet of flowers from her ex and explain it to her… Current? Or, that after the nine months that they had been together, Jesse still didn't know how much she hated roses.

Sucking in a deep breath, Rachel turned around and went back into her apartment, holding the flowers beside her. She opened her mouth to explain everything, but immediately shut it when she caught sight of Finn. He was standing in her kitchen, clad in nothing but his blue and white plaid boxers, staring into her fridge with an already large armful of food.

She was still staring when he turned around. "What was it-" His voice cut off and she knew he was looking at the flowers when his eyes lost their cheer and his smile failed to remain on his still swollen lips. "Jesse?" He inquired passive aggressively, to which she only nodded. He sighed, shutting the door and sitting the food down on the counter. "I thought you said that you two were over?" Rachel didn't like the emotionless tone in his voice.

"We are," she insisted.

"Because I thought that we talked about letting something start here." Finn continued as if he hadn't heard her at all, his mind too caught up in the hurt that was overthrowing his body.

Rachel walked towards him, carelessly tossing the flowers onto the couch. "Me and Jesse are through, Finn."

"Then why the hell is he still sending you flowers?" The tall man asked, looking every bit the part of a hurt child. His fist were clenched at his sides and his mouth was drawn into a straight line. She wanted to comfort him.

"Because he doesn't want to accept that I'm over him," Rachel spoke softly, carefully moving around the counter to be beside him. He looked at her like she was a rabid animal, not moving away, but eyes wide with alert. "Those flowers mean nothing to me." She raised her hand, holding eye contact while laying it on the smooth skin of his chest.

Finn allowed the physical contact for a moment before stepping away from her, "What the hell is wrong with me, Rachel? I have no right to be telling you what to do. We aren't even dating!" He walked out of the kitchen, pacing in the living room. "It's like I can't even control myself when you're around. I either want to kiss you, have sex with you, or cuddle with you," he pointed to himself, looking up at her, "and I'm not the cuddling type!"

Rachel smiled at him. "I feel the same way about you."

"How? Is this normal?" He looked incredibly confused, and he felt it too. Even more so than he had when he had been given that cucumber and a condom in Sex Ed – Did you know cucumbers can give you AIDs? Yeah, neither did he! Thank God for the American Sex Education curriculum. "Is it normal to have this weird hot burning in your stomach when you look at someone and want to kick the ass of any guy who tries to touch them?" Finn questioned, not paying mind to the fact that Rachel was beaming at him. "It feels like I'm losing my mind, and it makes me really freaked out. And kind of hungry." His eyes trailed longingly to the line-up of food he had placed on her counter, then shifts back to her. "And it makes me wonder if I should even come and see you again, or just pretend you never existed," Stab. White searing pain courses through Rachel's chest, and she leans over on the counter to try and process the words. "I could just go on with my life, go back to picking up random women and sending them home the next morning." His eyes were on the wall behind her, but Rachel wanted him to look at her if he was about to end things. If he was going to be a coward, he could at least look her in the eye. "That would hurt less."

"You can leave if you want." Rachel whispered, refusing to follow his lead and look away. She was not going to let him have the pleasure of being oblivious to her pain. Rachel Berry had a flare for dramatics, and he would not be spared. "I understand, you know. I get that this may be too much, so I won't fight you if you want to leave." It was the truth, but that didn't mean it didn't feel like someone shoving a fire poker into her heart, leaving a hole in the place that was only previously patched up. "But, I won't let you leave before I tell you that you'd be making a big mistake, Finn Hudson. You and I both know that we have an intensely deep connection. One that won't be so easily smothered." There were choked sobs in her voice. She didn't care. She wasn't going to hide her pain to ease his. She couldn't help but feel like his words were the beginning of the end.

Finn stopped pacing the hole in her rug, twisting in his position to look, _really look_ at Rachel. She was so small, so fragile. Right then, she appeared as if he had just shattered her. That wounded expression on her face… Had he done that? God, he was such an idiot! Why couldn't he ever think before he spoke?

He's beside her in an instant, pulling her face away from the floor to have her look, really look at him. "Let me finish, alright?" If she had been able to continue to speak, she would have, but alas, her voice failed her like he nodded, closing her mouth. "But, then I do see you again, even though, and I'll deny it if you tell anyone, I'm terrified. Terrified because I don't understand any of this, not really. And terrified at the thought," his fingers slip from her chin, and Rachel realizes just how compatible they are while watching Finn recite a monologue. He's not great at it, but he has her on edge, anticipating each and every inflection with his words. "That you are going to hurt me."

Her? Hurt him? Funny, that's the exact opposite of what she was afraid of. Maybe that's just common misunderstandings in relationships that never get talked about. And here she and Finn were, getting all of this off of their chests before any relationship could even begin.

"I see you, and that smile that seems almost too bright to be human, and it's like the sun sets in your ass or something because I find it super hard to look away."

"Finn," Rachel whined, staring into his stupidly beautiful amber eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere, Rach," he breathed out, letting his forehead softly fall against her own. "Not as long as you want me."

Why would she ever _not _want him? Who cares if he's slept with a lot of people? Who cares if people thought he was a jerk (Though she had no idea why)? She did want him. She wanted to wake up with him in her bed, go out to dinner with him and hold hands in public, see him in the front row of all of her shows. Everything that the world had to offer a couple, Rachel Berry wanted with Finn Hudson.

"I want you," she assured him, taking her bottom lip between her pink lips.

A low groan escaped his throat while watching the action. Did she even know what she did to him?

He wrapped one of his large hands around the back of her neck, pulling her small body into him as he closed the distance, capturing her open mouth in a sweet kiss that made her knees sink, his tongue swirling in her heated mouth while he caressed her lower back through the big t-shirt she wore. Finn caught her, moving and caging her between his hard body and the kitchen counter. He allowed his rough fingers to drag from her neck to her jaw, grasping her chin before pulling back. "Will you please go to dinner with me tonight?"

Rachel nodded vigorously, eyes still closed and lips still parted.

Finn bent down to give her a chaste kiss, earning a quick whimper before he moved away completely. "Good," he spoke, and Rachel finally looked back at him. "But, that's tonight. I can't take you on an actual date if I die of starvation before then." He smirked and walked away, grabbing up some of the ingredients that he had pulled out of the fridge.

"Let me," Rachel said quickly, recalling something from their first night together. Finn watched as the beautiful creature stepped between him and the food, the familiar look of purpose illuminating her features.

"You don't need to, Rach."

She looked at him over her shoulder with a smile that seemed so homey, and Finn's eyes widened at the sudden ambush of mental images that flooded his mind. Rachel wearing aprons and Rachel and him cooking together, talking about their day as they worked around one another, him occasionally wiping flour or olive oil on her cheek as she gasped and smacked his hand.

Maybe in the future, those mental images would include a small silver band on her ring finger.

"Finn, get out of my kitchen and take a shower." Her words had bite, but her lips were still smiling. He ran his hand down her arms, leaning in to give her a warm kiss on her neck before stepping away to go take a shower.

Rachel felt her shoulders slump as his presence disappeared from behind her. This was a side of her she never wished to see again, the dependent side that needed a man to be happy. She was Rachel Berry for God's sake. She could survive just by herself!

She yanked the carton of eggs out of the fridge, then the bacon (Thankfully Jesse made her continuously buy it), and finally, the pancake mix from the pantry. Finn's elderly neighbor had said that this was Finn's favorite thing to eat, so she was more than happy to make it for him.

It took her a few minutes to find the correct pans for cooking, since she and Jesse had been eating at restaurants nearly every night. After all of the dishes were ready, she began to sift through the ingredients. The loud thwack of her cracking the eggs on the counter filled the room, and then the swoosh of her swiping the utensils against the bowl to beat the eggs to achieve the perfect scrambled egg. When they were flawless, she poured them into her pan, then set to making the pancake mix, all in a rush to finish before Finn got out of the shower.

She was just taking the third pancake out of the pan when she felt the hand slide up her side, a squeal emitting from her lips.

Her body swung around, spatula armed and ready, only to see Finn looking down at her. His hair was wet, slick tendrils dripping down along the top of his face. With a quick glance, she saw that he was indeed wearing only a towel. The contours of his body were on full display and suddenly her fingers ached to run across the lines and find out where they all led.

Rachel swallowed, forcing her eyes up. He had a small smile-if she hadn't been panicked and horny, she'd have seen the smugness in it- when she finally made her way back to his face. "Finn, you scared me half to death." She uttered with absolutely no resentment, gently smacking his shoulder before she turned back around.

"I thought you were a vegetarian?" Finn asked, his voice low and raspy.

A chill shook her to her core, but she kept mixing more batter, lifting the bowl and pouring more of the white creamy liquid into the hot pan. "Vegan, and I am." She lifted her large spoon-like utensil and stirred the scrambled eggs once more before she took them out, placing them on a plate. "But, I remembered the woman from your apartment building talking about how this was your favorite meal, so I-I thought I'd make it for you." Rachel stuttered as his hands found themselves on her waist.

Finn watched the stray hairs that had slipped from her messy ponytail stick to the back of her neck, perspiration covering the skin as she attempted to thoroughly make him a great breakfast.

"Well, it's not my favorite meal," he mused with a tender tone, looking down to where her toned legs seemed to fall endlessly from the bottom of his shirt she wore. He saw as she looked defeated, her stirring coming to an end.

"Oh." Was all she said, looking at her hands before continuing to cook. "Than what is?"

Rachel felt him pull her body back, one of his large hands rubbing around her side before it splayed out on her stomach, the other sliding up her spine. She bit her lip, trying to look over her shoulder, only to be stopped when the hand on her back pushed forward. Her hands came out, keeping her steady as he bent her over the counter. "Finn, I haven't even cooked the bacon yet. I thought you were hungry?"

"I am."

Wetness pooled onto her underwear when she felt his breathing on the back of her thighs. "What are you doing?" She exhaled, her eyes clenching shut when his fingers dragged her underwear down her legs.

Finn smirked up at the amazing girl in front of him. She was saturated, and it was all because of him. He felt his pride soar through the roof at the very thought.

"Eating," he replied as if it were obvious, and Rachel cried out as his face buried into her, inhaling her deeply and lapping up all of the juices her body was offering to him. Her knuckles bled of all color as she pushed her ass out, forcing herself to be even closer to his roaming mouth.

"Finn, I- I-…" Rachel slumped, her arms being used as pillows. His tongue slid along her folds, the taste of her shocking all of his taste buds and making him want her even more. Rachel Berry tasted amazing, and he was sure he could continue for hours. In fact, he was perfectly content with that thought.

Her heart was thundering in her chest, slamming so hard she was sure it'd burst through her rib cage. She felt his tongue slide along the most sensitive nub and she felt like she could die and not even know it. She loved that he knew exactly what she liked. She loved that he could send her to the edge faster and more diligently than anyone else. She loved him.

Rachel's eyes shot open when he stopped, both of them going rigid. Had she just said that out loud?

Finn was sure he had heard correctly. She had said she loved him. It was in a moment of pleasure, but she still said it. Did she mean it? She wasn't saying anything. Maybe she didn't mean it. Or maybe she did and he was being an asshole by not saying anything back. But, did he love her?

She didn't mean for that to happen. She had thought of it, trying to figure out her feelings, but she wished she had talked to him about it before. What if he didn't believe her because it happened during a sexual act? Rachel had intended for that admission to come out in a more romantic way, and was about to say so, when his mouth began to roughly assault her, his tongue massaging into her like never before. He hummed, sending vibrations throughout her entire body as his lips circled her clit, the tip of his magic tongue making her toes curl.

He ate her out enthusiastically, his groin aching as she screamed at the top of her lungs while he ran his tongue over her nub time and time again. The thought of her neighbors knowing his name seemed more and more enticing. Rachel's moans were throaty and needy, and Finn was all too willing to oblige. He wanted this to be her best orgasm yet, wanted her to know that he appreciated her admission, even if he couldn't bring himself to respond with the right words yet, and Finn was prepared to do whatever he could to achieve that. The image of her standing before him, cooking for him, caring for him, kept him going when his knees began to hurt.

He lifted a finger, slipping it inside of her clenching walls, pushing in and out in a pumping motion.

"Ah, _Finn!_" She shrieked, her orgasm finally body-slamming over the edge of grace as she climaxed, no longer able to hold herself up. Finn braced her, keeping his finger in her to drag her along with a rope of pleasure as he stood up, his hand around her. He kissed her sweetly, and Rachel tasted herself in his mouth. She slung her arm around his neck, deepening the kiss as she stood on her tip toes to try and balance out the height difference as much as possible.

"_That's _my favorite meal," Finn declared, smiling into her lips.

Rachel felt weak. She was unable to process coherent words. Luckily, she didn't need to. It soon became clear that something was burning. Crying out, this time in alarm, she remembered that she was cooking a pancake. Quickly, she flipped the blackened monstrosity out of the pan, tossing it into the open trashcan beside her.

"Can I help you?" Finn asked from beside her, forcing Rachel to do a double take. He looked completely innocent standing there in his towel, as if he hadn't just used her as his own personal buffet.

Not one to ever turn down assistance, Rachel smirked as she shoved the package of bacon into his hands. "Of course you can. You can cook the bacon while I finish the last two pancakes. But, after that, we have to go to the hotel for the wedding." She pointed to the pan in front of him. "I already have the stove set to the right heat level, and you should only have to cook it for eight minutes each pan. I would tell you exactly how long it should take to cook, but I'm guessing you'll cook the entire thing, since we both know just how much you can eat," Finn's eyebrows raised, hinting for the first time since it happened just how _not _innocent he truly was. "_Food, _Finn!" Rachel reprimanded, nudging him in the side. He swiped her sweaty hair aside, landing a kiss on the point of her neck that makes her tremble. "We're never going to be able to eat breakfast if you don't start cooking."

"I've already had my breakfast," Finn commented cheekily, now only trying to rile her up.

Rachel glared at him, but landed a swift swat to his butt before swirling gracefully around him, speaking her next sentence in a sing song voice. "I guess I can just find someone else to take me on a date tonight!"

Finn scoffed, ripping open the package and pulling out the meat to cook. "Over my dead body." She giggled like a child when she saw his tongue sticking out at the side in concentration as he peeled the bacon apart and put it into the pan, lifting his hand far enough away to not get burnt by the splattering grease.

Rachel cooked with Finn, allowing themselves to enjoy peaceful banter and each one placing sneaky kisses on the other at random times. It was honestly heaven on Earth for a while there. Until, of course, it wasn't, and she sat in the chair before him, watching him shovel food into his mouth, swallowing it down after maybe two chews, no doubt letting the nearly whole substance fall into the bottomless pit that was his stomach.

He thanked her over and over again, telling her how amazing she was, and it really would have been one of the best moments of her life, easily top 5 at the very least, if she hadn't been trying her hardest not to think of the fact that he had never responded to her declaration of love.

**AN: So, I've only received a few theories of what hardship is going to come in between these two. I'll have you know that it is coming very soon, and I'd really appreciate you guys trying to figure it out before it happens! Not to mention, sometimes it gives me ideas to integrate into the chapters when I edit them. Leave a review and a theory, pm me on here, or message me on tumblr at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr . com. I hope you all have a great day!**


	9. Chapter 9-Caught Red Handed

**AN: Well, here it is. This chapter was difficult to write, and even more difficult to edit. Don't hate me. Enjoy, if you can.**

"Rach, stop trying to murder Puck," Finn pleaded, grabbing the short little person around her waist to hoist her backwards, her small arms flailing wildly attempting to break free. When she found it ultimately useless, she turned her rage on him, her eyes burning with anger.

"He ruined my dress!" Rachel screamed, her finger pointed at a less than concerned Noah Puckerman.

The man ran his hand through his Mohawk, staring at the two people before him. "Well shit, Berry. How the hell am I supposed to react to this?" He asked, still in shock by Rachel and Finn's admission of being romantically involved.

"How about anything other than spewing your liquor on me?!" She practically screamed, cheeks puffed out and red with anger, once more fighting to attack the man. "I just bought this dress, you Neanderthal!

"I asked about how sleeping with her was," Puck whispered, unsure of whether or not to be disgusted. She was annoying, but he had already long admitted to himself that she was kind of hot, in a sexy librarian way. Puck glanced back to Finn, ignoring how the girl was straining against his hold. "I'm still kind of curious." He admitted.

Rachel scoffed, and Finn glared at the man. "It's none of your business, dude!"

Puck took another gulp of his drink. "I just want to know if she gets freaky. Berry always seemed like the kind of get crazy in bed."

Now Rachel was the one holding Finn back. "Shut up, Noah!" She demanded.

"Don't even think about her like that!"

Puck shrugged, "Calm down, man. It's not like I'm ever going to act on it. I may like sex, but Q keeps me plenty happy."

"No one cares about your sex life, Puckerman." Rachel looked down at her dress once more, her mouth turning down into a deep frown. "Now I have to change before our date." She looked up at Finn, and he leaned down to give her a kiss. Puck groaned, so they deepened it, smiling at each other when he decided to walk away.

"I'll be waiting in the lobby." He whispered, squeezing her hand and watching her walk away. The sway of her hips always entranced him, but ever since she told him she loved him, he felt like she could knock him out with even her smallest movements.

He was going to tell her tonight at dinner. He had it all planned out, and the tulips were being sent to the restaurant at 8:30. Finn Hudson was going to tell Rachel Berry that he loved her. He had never felt more confident about something in his life, and yeah, maybe she came to the realization before he did, but now that he had struck the epiphany, he wondered how he hadn't been feeling that way all along.

Finn walked through the hotel in a daze, flopping down into a chair as he attempted to collect all of his thoughts, but all he could think about was Rachel. Rachel naked, Rachel in his shirts, Rachel smiling, Rachel laughing, Rachel's hand, Rachel whispering dirty things to him in bed, Rachel, Rachel, Rachel. How had he ever been unsure of his feelings for her? It was clear he loved her by the dumb grin he got just by looking at her. Or thinking about her. Or talking about her.

Fairly positive he was going insane, Finn laid his head back in the chair and sighed, allowing his mind to wander around, creating new fantasies, like how Rachel's face would look when he told her he loved her tonight.

"Sir, would you like a glass of water?"

One of his eyes popped open, glancing to the side to see an older man standing in a dress shirt, a waist-apron thing covering his front. "Um, no. But thank you very much." The man smiled, nodding his head and turning, when an idea came to Finn. "Can I get a bottle of Champaign ordered to room 403, though?"

The waiter sat down his pitcher of water, pulling out a notepad from his pocket and jotted down Finn's request. "Of course. Anything else?"

"Tulips!" He blurted, the man's face turning into one of knowing. "I mean, if you guys are able to take care of things like that. It's alright if you can't."

The older man smiled down at Finn, writing down something else on his notepad before slipping it back into his pocket. He picked up his pitcher, condensation dripping down the glass. "I'll take care of it, sir. One bouquet of tulips to room 403."

"Thank you. Really." Finn reached into his own pocket, pulling out a hundred dollar bill.

"Oh, sir, it will just be charged to your room, there's no need-"

Finn kept his hand outstretched. "Keep it. You're helping me out more than you will ever know." The waiter hesitantly took the cash, in turn thanking Finn and promising him that both of his orders with be delivered soon as he walked off.

He had remembered Rachel's favorite flowers, and when she went to his room with him later, she'd get to see them. He was doing good as a boyfriend. Or, future boyfriend. This was already more effort than he had put in with anyone that he can remember, besides his Prom Queen high school girlfriend who made him do _everything _for her, yet he was enjoying it. He was ecstatic that he made Rachel happy, even if it cost him a few hundred bucks. Hell, he'd pay thousands if it meant waking up to her cute pouty morning face.

God, he was glad that she had admitted her love first so that he didn't have to wonder if it was one sided.

"Finn?" A small voice asked.

Finn turned in his chair, the smile still on his lips. That was, of course, until he saw who it was. "Quinn?"

She began to walk towards him, but he swiftly removed himself from the chair he had been planted in, his hands held out in front of him in hopes of keeping her away. "Please, Finn. We need to talk."

"No freaking way." He shot the idea down, turning to leave her. He had made it to the hallway before she grabbed his arm. "Quinn, I'm serious. We have nothing to talk about."

Her face scrunched up in hurt, and Finn recalled the pain he felt when Rachel did that. He didn't feel that pain here. "Nothing to talk about?" She asked hysterically. "We have _everything _to talk about, Finn Hudson!" Quinn's blonde hair shook with her angered movements.

"We really don't, Quinn. You're getting married tomorrow. _To my best friend_, remember?" Finn asked, more in the hopes of making her think of Puck so that she wouldn't do anything stupid.

He hadn't been expecting her equally low blow. "Your best friend, whose fiancé you slept with?"

Finn's stomach sunk to the floor. He could feel his heart began to shake violently inside of him. This wasn't happening. "You two were fighting and we were both drunk." He said, more to himself than her.

Quinn scoffed, "Please, we both knew what we were doing." She took a step forward, laying her hand on his chest. If he wasn't sure that he was about to have a heart attack, he would have pushed her away. If she hadn't been a female, he'd have shoved her away. He would do anything to get this panicked feeling out of his body. "How am I supposed to get married tomorrow when you're sitting there, Finn? How am I supposed to pretend like there isn't something between us?" She questioned, her body leaning in closer.

He watched her mouth hover near his own, looking at the prettiness of her face. She was beautiful. And she had been beautiful when he slept with her, too. Her lips opened as her breath cradled his skin. Memories of perfectly pale hands running over his body and pleading him to release her from the emotional distress Puck had been putting her through whisked through him. He had thought he loved her at one time. Had been head over heels, his stomach churning every time he saw her and Puck together.

That feeling was gone though. Why?

Rachel.

Finn pushed Quinn away. She was pretty, but she was also cold-hearted, and she was his best friends fiancé for God's sake! "No!" He shouted, stepping further away from her. "There is nothing between us but a night full of mistakes!"

He wanted to get away from her as soon as possible. He wanted to go and eat with Rachel, he needed to tell her he loved her. He didn't want this woman before him, even if she looked like a supermodel. He wanted _his _supermodel. He wanted Rachel.

Quinn's face seemed to deflate then, and she nodded while looking at the floor. "Okay."

"Okay?" He asked wearily, not swayed.

"Alright, Finn." Quinn looked up at him, a small smile that looked like the end of whatever made up idea she had in her head tugging at her lips. Perhaps she was just having wedding jitters, and all she needed was to be assured.

Finn sighed in relief, running his hand down his face. Thank god.

"But, can I get one last kiss?" She questioned, her eyes wide and vulnerable. "I won't try anything funny. It'll be quick and simple." Finn was about to say no, but she shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "I just need the closure."

"I," Finn shoved his hands in his pockets, too uncomfortable to do anything else. They were much softer than the pockets of the jeans who usually wears, but he had wanted to look good for Rachel tonight. "I can't."

Her eyes dragged along his face and her smile tilted at the side, disappointment and possibly a bit of pent up frustration carefully masked behind the feigned understanding. "Finn, it doesn't mean anything. You said yourself that there's nothing between us." She laughed softly, her voice a little husky. "I just think we should come full circle. End where we started, and all."

Finn still wanted to say no. He wanted to leave her in that hallway and go and find his gorgeous girlfriend- at least he thought that's at what point they were at- and forget about Quinn Fabray. But, she said she needed it to get closure, and Finn was pretty sure that meant she was going to use it to get over him. He would have given her the moon if it meant she would marry Puck and not tell Rachel that they had slept together.

"I guess," Finn barely got out before Quinn was before him, pulling his mouth down to her own, the distance a few inches less than when he had to lean down to kiss Rachel. He knew immediately that what Quinn said about this kiss meaning nothing was a lie. She was forceful, slipping her tongue into his mouth, her fingers pulling roughly at his hair. There was an air of anger circling around them as she tried to make emotions where he felt none.

Finn was pretty sure this wasn't closure.

He was also pretty sure the day he had thought was a fantasy before quickly formed into a nightmare in the next second.

"Oh my god," a familiar voice cried, the surprise and anguish in it ripping through his body like a knife.

Finn pried Quinn off of him, looking over her shoulder to see Rachel standing in the threshold of the entrance to the hallway. She looked beautiful, her hair up in a messy bun, a bright blue dress on her body. But, she didn't look as happy to see him as he was to see her. In fact, tears were falling down her face and her mouth was open in disbelief and disgust.

Finn followed her eyes, only then realizing that Rachel had just caught him in a make out session with her best friend. Oh god.

"Rachel, wait." He begged, pushing Quinn away from him with little regard.

"Hang on, are you and Rachel together?" Quinn asked, surprise clear on her face. She at least had the decency to look guilty.

Finn ignored her, chasing after the blur of blue that was taking his heart with her. Guest in the hotel watched with annoyed expressions as the two people ran through the lobby, the tallest of them both screaming for the other to stop.

Finn watched as she headed out into the night, him close on her heels. They ran through the streets for a few seconds, cars honking as they passed.

"Rachel, please!" He shouted, his body throbbing, adrenaline pumping through him even more heavily than when he got to second base for the first time.

She stopped her running, her dress still clinging to her frame and billowing behind her as the wind picked up. He could see the tension in her body, her fist clenched painfully by her side, but she didn't turn to look at him.

She couldn't. Not when Quinn's lip glass was still messily lingering on his lips.

"I can't believe you." She whispered, and he heard it. The agony and pain. Had he caused that? Finn stopped right behind her, her body so close, but he knew he couldn't touch her. He couldn't run his hands down her arms that were no doubt cold right now, nor could he leaned forward and place his lips on that special spot on her neck that made her whine and shiver. He couldn't do anything like that. Not right now. "How could you do this, Finn?"

"It wasn't like that, Rach," he tried to explain, his mind running to find a way to tell her why he had done it, but his heart was smashing into his chest and his fingers were twitching with anxiety. Everything kept coming up blank besides the single sentence "I love you", but now isn't the time.

"Don't call me that."

Oh no. Oh god, no. He can't breathe. Why is this happening? Why did this have to happen tonight? "She wanted closure. That's it. There's nothing between us." He tried, but when Rachel spun around, her face red and eyes pouring, he knew he had only made it worse.

"Closure for what, Finn?" She wasn't even sure she wanted to know the answer, honestly. But she needed to. She needed clarification. Finn's eyes fell then, and she knew there wasn't an excuse. At least, not a good one. "Oh my god," she cried, her hands flying to her face.

"We slept together last year. When her and Puck were fighting about whether or not she was going to move in." Rachel remembered that fight, she recalled how Quinn had been upset and crying one day, in utter distraught because Puck told her he wasn't ready, then completely fine the next. Now she knew why. She felt so stupid! She had thought that maybe Quinn had started working out or something else productive to get through her frustrations.

Instead, she had slept with Finn.

_Her _Finn.

Rachel was positive she could feel her body being torn apart, chest first. Her tears became sobs that began in her throat and soon took over her entire being, wracking through her like a seizure. "I'm so sorry." Finn begged breathlessly, his hands going to her shoulders.

"Don't touch me!" She shrieked, throwing him off of her. He looked back at her with wide eyes, but they soon turned to ones of pain and remorse. "How could you kiss her, Finn? You knew what happened with Jesse! You knew I had been hurt by someone cheating, and you still did it!" Rachel took several steps away.

She was trying to leave him.

Finn's face became rigid with his own anger and frustration. "You're blowing this way out of contortion!" Rachel was too caught up in her fury that she didn't correct him. "We didn't even know each other when me and Quinn slept together, and what just happened with her wasn't my way of continuing things! She asked me to do it so that she could move on." He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"She's my best friend, _Finn._" He flinched at the disdain in her voice when she spoke his name. No longer did it sound like a prayer. "She's about to be your best friend's wife." Rachel cocked her head, letting him know she wasn't buying what he was saying. "Of all the nights, you chose tonight." Turning around, she pulled her cover up tighter over her shoulders as she started to leave.

"Please. Please don't walk away from me," Finn walked towards her, but she shook her head, stopping him. "Shit, Rach, I'm so sorry." His eyes began to water, but he didn't care. This wasn't the time to keep up manly appearances. "It didn't mean anything. I thought- I just thought she would kiss me and be done."

"I said don't call me that." Rachel replied, violently wiping off her tears. "I'll be staying in my hotel room tonight, and you can return my key to me when the wedding is through." She spoke with conviction, but inside, she was duct taping the ever growing cracks in her heart. "If there even is a wedding now." She spat.

Finn let out a sob, once again walking to her. "This isn't happening." He spoke, reaching out for her hand. "Don't do this."

"You did this!" She yelled, catching his gaze. Her anger fell then, the red rage melting like molten, only to cool into something even worse, hurt. He had never wanted to see something like this on her beautiful face. He really couldn't ever do anything right. "You did this." She repeated, this time much softer. "I hope it was worth it."

Obviously she knew it was never going to work out. She had known it from the beginning. Finn was type that lead his team to victory in high school, a crowd cheering him on. Rachel, on the other hand, was the kind to be slushied and thrown into the utilities closet with a live raccoon until the janitor finally found her coward on the supply shelf.

Seeing him with Quinn reaffirmed her belief that there was always going to be someone better, prettier, funnier. Quinn was gorgeous, how could she compete with that?

"Of course it wasn't worth it, Rachel." He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to him in a heavy embrace. She fought him, but he was too strong. Rachel struggled to not allow herself to divulge into his tight hug as his scent bombarded her nose. "I just got you, I'm not letting you go. Not now."

Rachel felt her resolve breaking. If she continued to allow him to hold her, she'd break down and stay with him. She'd follow him up to his room and allow him to show her how much he loved her.

But, he didn't love her.

He never said it back. She thought at first it was because he was planning on a more romantic setting. Actually, she thought he'd say it tonight. But, now she knew it was because he just hadn't felt the same way. At least, not about her.

His hard body was shaking against her. She didn't want to see him in so much pain, it broke her.

But, _he_ had kissed Quinn. Her best friend. His best friends soon to be wife. He broke her heart, and now, she was going to break his.

"Goodbye, Finn," her voice cracked, showing weakness.

Finn shook his head, holding her tighter.

Rachel refused to let herself fall into the pit of darkness. So, instead of falling, she held firm and still, allowing him to keep his hold until his body no longer allowed it. When he was too exhausted after what felt like hours of keeping her by his side, she pulled his hands off of her, moving back. "Take care." She tried to sound strong, but she was in so much pain and her throat was swollen up from biting back tears, she couldn't be sure all of her true emotions weren't plastered on her face.

He had the decency to fake a bravado, attempting to make up for the way he had responded before. Although, Rachel was glad he showed emotion. She liked men who were in touch with themselves.

Finn swiped a tear off of his own face, his eyebrows furrowed on his forehead. "Yeah," he whispered, then coughed, clearing his throat. "Yeah, uh, you too."

Her hands fell by her side, and Rachel looked anywhere but at him as she brushed passed, going back inside to no doubt go into her hotel room and cry until she fell asleep. Her stomach was in a knot, and her skin was on fire with rage and pain. This wasn't how the night was supposed to go. How was she supposed to go to the wedding with him right there? How was she supposed to look Puck in the eyes and not tell him what happened?

It dawned on her that she and Finn were sat beside each other at the tables. She couldn't ask Quinn to move them.

Quinn.

Rachel almost forgot that not only had she lost the man she loved, she had also lost her best friend.

Never had she felt more alone.

She was crying when she picked up her phone, tears streaming down her face and her make up staining the crisp white sheets. The voice on the line answered, and she let out a painful sob.

"Rachel? Sweetheart, what's wrong?" The voice asked.

"Finn… Quinn… Kissing… Cheating…" She managed through the tears, and she heard the man sigh on the other end of the line.

"Are you at the hotel?"

Rachel nodded, forgetting for a moment that he couldn't see her through the phone. "Yes," she quickly said, more tears falling.

She heard him moving things and opening a door. "I'll be there in twenty minutes, alright? Go and take a hot bath. Text me your room number."

Rachel thanked him, to which he told her that it was his duty as her friend, then they ended the call and she collapsed, pulling her knees up to her chest to try and keep from sobbing even harder, but it was no use.

Finn Hudson had taken her in, allowing her to get love him, then spit her out. She was nothing but a mess, but it was nobody's fault other than her own.

She and Finn hadn't even dated, she knew that. So why, then, did it feel like she just broke up with him? And why did it hurt so much?

**AN: So, yeah. Review? Pm me, or message me on tumblr at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr . com**


	10. Chapter 10-Yesterday

**AN: To the guest who is desperately seeking Finchel anal sex in the review area, I will go ahead and pass along the information here, since you are a guest and I can't technical speak to you any other way, that it will not happen in this story because this story is already written. But, if you give me a prompt, I will gladly write something for you in my drabbles that I will be releasing soon, because I appreciate your enthusiasm. Also, this will be the last chapter of this story. Enjoy.**

"You look beautiful," Blaine said, appraising Rachel's appearance the next morning, long legs standing tall in her black pumps and tanned skin accentuated by her pastel pink dress. They were both getting ready to go downstairs to the wedding, but Rachel was feeling something along the lines of a panic attack coming.

"I can't do this," she whispered fervently, still staring at her reflection. Dark circles and red eyes stared back at her. Who the hell was that?

Blaine smiled, squeezing her shoulders supportively. "Of course you can. You're Rachel Berry!"

He was right. She was. But, she sure didn't feel like it. She felt like someone had ripped her apart and only left her with the weak parts of Rachel Berry. The parts that made her sing love songs to her high school glee club teacher, and the part that made her have weirdly mechanical sex with Jesse because he told her he "needed more", and she was sure that he was the only person who could love her.

Honestly, Rachel still wasn't convinced she was wrong.

Still, she needed to do this. She needed to get through the disaster that this day was sure to become, pretend to wish the happy couple a great life, then walk right out of it. Rachel wanted nothing to do with Quinn or Finn, and she was pretty sure that meant she could have nothing to do with Puck as well. He probably wouldn't actually mind that.

"Okay." She finally alleged, snatching up her handbag. She twisted to leave her room when she caught sight of Blaine, noticing his outfit for the first time that morning. "Blaine, you look amazing!"

He blushed slightly at the compliment. "Thanks."

She pushed her arm through his, pulling him out of the room with her and into the narrow hallway. "Let's do this." He nodded to her, smiling as they walked down the hall.

"You know, you don't have to talk to him." Blaine told her as they stepped into the elevator.

"If only it were that easy," Rachel reached to press the 4th floor button, where the wedding was, but her finger stilled midair whenever she heard the crashing noise down the hallway.

"Wait, hold the door!" But her fingers were already firmly slamming on the door close button.

The door began to shut and Blaine looked over at Rachel like she was insane, and maybe she was, but she sure as hell was not about to let Finn come get in the elevator with her. An enclosed space. One that she and he had proven when they first met that they could not keep to themselves in. Screw that.

She had hidden her face from him, so luckily when it closed, he hadn't caught a glimpse of whoever the asshole was who shut it.

As they slowly descended, guilt ate away at Rachel. Well, guilt and satisfaction. He kind of deserved that. By the time she reached the fourth floor, she was smiling. It was about damn time she stood up for herself, even if it was anonymously.

The wedding was in full swing, everyone running around like blind mice as they tried to make sure that everything was ready. Several times she walked passed Quinn, and several times she shifted her eyes and pretended as if the girl wasn't looking like she could burst into tears at any moment. Quinn had brought this upon herself. Even if she was completely unaware of the budding romance between Rachel and Finn, it didn't matter. She had no right to treat Puck that way. He didn't deserve it, even if he was an insatiable jerk.

As expected, she avoided any contact with Finn. In fact, she hadn't sat once at the table where her name sat beside his own. Instead, she kept herself occupied with talking to guest. She had pondered running to the table and switching around the name plates, but then people would get angry, and that would mean that Quinn would come over, and Rachel wasn't sure she could be trusted to speak to her calmly right then.

She'd probably just shout meaningless words as tears streamed down her face, really.

Then she actually _would _be crazy, and everyone from her high school would be right.

"So, you're Rachel?" An older woman asked, her hand in a bald man's who stood proudly beside her, as if she was the most beautiful thing in the world. It made Rachel ache.

"Um, yes ma'am." Rachel smiled brightly at her, something familiar about the woman.

The woman flashed her teeth at Rachel. "It's so wonderful to meet you. I'm Carole and this is my husband, Burt." She patted the man's chest fondly. "We've heard so much about you."

Rachel continued to smile, but inside her stomach was churning. Who were these people and how did they know her? "From who?" She asked, attempting to sound completely neutral, when really her mind was racing.

"Oh," the woman laughed as if she had left out the most important detail. She had. "I'm Carole _Hudson_. Finn's mother." Rachel felt like she was falling. She really felt like the world was sinking beneath her. Of course Finn's parents were here. Why hadn't she thought of that? Rachel was a very cautious person. How had the idea that Finn's parents, who had probably known Puck since he was a teen, would be here never crossed her mind?

She had known there was something familiar about the woman's smile. It was the same as the one Rachel had been pining over just 24 hours before.

The woman let out a gasp as Rachel began to follow her heart to the floor, the world swirling around her. She anticipated the hard surface slamming into her, was welcoming it really, maybe then she could leave. Instead found herself in strong arms, lifting her back to her feet.

"Rach? What the hell happened?" Finn asked, holding her to him. His mom just looked at Rachel dumbfounded, not quite sure. "Rachel? Are you alright?" His face was just inches from her own.

Dammit. She was beautiful. She was always beautiful, but right now, he could really appreciate it. And of course it would be at the most inopportune time.

She gazed up at him, her small hands holding onto his own as many different things that he couldn't quite pin flew across her face. Her deep brown eyes fluttered once or twice before the contours of her face turned lethal.

"I'm fine," she hissed, pulling herself from his grasp. When she was standing (albeit wobbly), Rachel turned back to Finn's parents, holding out her hand. "I'm so sorry. I just lost my balance for a moment." Carole just smiled and told her it was alright, shaking her hand. Rachel shook Burt's and he grunted something about thanking God it wasn't him who took the dive.

"Mom, Burt, I'm going to go take Rachel to sit down. I'll come back before everything starts." Finn said, and Rachel glared at him.

"Of course, sweetheart." Carole said, smiling at Rachel and walking away with Burt.

"The hell you are," Rachel spat when they were out of hearing range.

Finn scoffed at her stubbornness. "You just took a nosedive towards the floor, Rachel. Let me at least help you to your seat." He gripped her arm, slipping his other around her waist. Rachel continued to protest, but he just ignored her words, moving her to their table.

Blaine was already sitting and jumped when they came near. "What happened?" He asked, rushing to her side. Rachel successfully removed herself from Finn's grasp, hiding the fact that she deeply missed it as she let Blaine take his place. He sat her down and took his place beside her, Finn doing the same. It wasn't lost on either of them that they had been in the very same position one month before, under very different circumstances.

"She just got a bit overwhelmed," Finn supplied when Rachel couldn't come up with anything on her own.

Blaine's eyes slipped passed Rachel, landing on Finn. "And you are?" He questioned, though he already had an idea by the scowls and longing looks Rachel sent the man.

"Finn Hudson," Finn replied, holding out his hand. He himself was quite curious as to who this man that Rachel had brought was. How could she have found someone to replace him as her date so quickly? And why was her burning up to commit a murder?

Blaine ignored the man's hand, turning back to Rachel. His eyes easily switched from angered to worry when it came to his best friend. "Are you alright?"

Rachel smiled sweetly at him and Finn felt like he was going to puke. "I'm fine, Blaine." But she wasn't. She wanted to die right then and there. Why did she have to be stuck so close to Finn? It was making her confused beyond belief. Couldn't he just leave?

She looked at Finn from the corner of her eyes, both surprised and not to find he was already looking at her. He gave her a small, sad smile. Rachel was deciding whether or not to return it or ask him to leave when they all turned quickly at the sounds of a door slamming.

A raging Puck stormed in from where the bride was supposed to come in from in just a matter or moments, followed by said bride screaming for him to please "not do it". Not do what? "The wedding is off!" Puck roared back at her, then swirled around with a sudden madness, his eyes searching the room. There was so much going on, the room a mess yet quiet at the same time, no one quite understanding what was happening. Still, with everything, Rachel couldn't help but zoom in on Puck's growing instability.

He seemed like he was calculating a target to release his pure fury on, possibly planning to kill someone. His target was found seconds later, and Rachel cowered into her chair as he stalked toward her.

Never in her life had she seen so much wrath in one man's gaze. She cringed beneath his scrutiny, wondering if he was going to hit her, until she saw that he wasn't actually looking at her at all. "You fucking bastard!" Puck shrieked, knocking Finn right out of his chair.

Finn fell backwards, his head slamming into the floor. Rachel intended to help him up, but when she finally managed to get out of her chair, Puck was already on top of him. "Noah, stop!" Rachel cried out, but the man took little notice of her.

Crack.

She heard everything. Quinn's screaming, Puck's fist, Finn groaning. It made her sick, and she was sure she was going to throw up. But, she couldn't just leave Finn to be mauled by Puck. He'd kill him. Hell, she'd probably kill him to if she found out that he slept with someone she was about to marry. That's what this had to be about. Glancing at Quinn, she found the girl standing on the other side of the two men, hands over her face. Once more, she saw the guilt.

You'd think she'd already had enough guilt to last a lifetime.

Puck's fist repeatedly pounded into the taller man's face, even after he had broken something. The next time Puck brought his fist back, Rachel saw the blood on it.

Blood.

Finn's blood.

"Get off of him!" She found herself wrapped around his arm, pulling with all of her might to keep him from hitting Finn. Unfortunately, this just brought out more anger, and Rachel found herself thrown to the floor several feet back. Her head slammed against something hard, and the next thing she knows, her leg feel as if Edward Scissorhands just tried to rub it.

"Rachel!" She heard someone yell, but her mind was too throttled to know who. Her head and leg were throbbing in her skin, and she tried not to yelp when someone touched it.

Through her haze, Rachel saw a figure get off of the floor in a blur, shoving the other person off of them before landing what appeared to be a final hit to the other figures gut. She crawled backwards as far as she could before the searing hot pain of her leg stopped her when the figure came running full speed towards her, sliding on his knees to her for the last few feet. If she wasn't in so much pain right then, she'd have definitely guessed that the person whose silhouette she could barely make out was a rock star. A real Mick Jagger.

Envisioning a new pain from the person, she braced herself, eyes securely shut. When the other person made contact with her, however, it was through gentle embraces of the skin. First her leg, so soft that it didn't hurt, then her head, then lastly, her cheek, in which the person she now knew to be Finn held her gaze with intense fear.

"Finn," Rachel whispered, a broken smile on her face. "My night and shining armor."

Finn's concerned expression faltered somewhat, an indication of smile on his lips. "We need to get you to a doctor, Rach."

"What happened?" Everything was pretty hazy to her. She recollected Puck running in and pushing Finn to the floor, but everything else was kind of… Blah. She regarded him thoroughly, seeing the blood and bruises on his face. "Finn, you're hurt," muttering, she lifted her own fingers and held them against his skin, tracing the bloody patterns.

He leaned his face into her small hands, his full blown smile now lighting up the room. "I'll be fine." He promised, but his face changed again, this time going darker, more haunted, than before. "Puck was knocking the hell out of me, which I completely deserved, and then you tried to stop him," he breathed in, his cheeks and ears reddening, "and he threw you off. You hit a table, and the champaign glasses fell off and broke, and you kind of rebounded into the shards."

As he spoke, her memory of before arose from the foggy boxes in her mind she had hid them in and she remembered that she was supposed to hate Finn then. His smile disappeared when she removed her hand from his face rather quickly, looking to the others around them.

"Rachel, I just called the ambulance," Blaine stated before dropping down beside Rachel.

Finn's eyes fell, his emotions shifting between pained and annoyed. Obviously this guy and Rachel were closer than just a wedding date. He watched as Blaine touched her body to see her reaction and told small jokes, making her emit the laugh that could literally bring Finn to his knees.

He wanted to intervene, wanted to toss himself between them and be the one to make Rachel happy, but he also knew that her feeling better was more important than his feelings, and if this guy was making her laugh and smile, than he had no right to take that away from her.

That didn't mean it was any less painful.

The ambulance came and they wrapped up Rachel's leg after removing several pieces of glass, luckily she didn't need any stitches. They looked over Puck and decided he was over all fine. Finn was surprised to find that he had a broken nose, to which Puck glared at him smugly in the distance. So they painfully moved it back into place, gave both him and Rachel a painkiller and prescribed more, then left, leaving the awkward chaos in their wake.

Many guest that weren't close to the former bride and groom left and took the loud gossiping along with them, and although Quinn begged and pleaded, Puck stood firm in his discontinuation of the marriage. Besides a few snide comments in Finn's direction and several times in which he screamed at Quinn for trying to talk to him, he had been completely closed off. That was until he made his way over to Rachel.

Puck was just a few feet away, the sting of regret shooting through him when he saw her resting her leg on a chair. "Hey-"

"What are you doing?"

Puck looked up into the eyes of his ex-best friend. He'd known him since he was in sixth grade and Puck moved to Lima, Ohio with his mom while trying to get his dead-beat dad off of their trail. Finn was the first person that he had called his best friend.

Right now, he didn't even recognize him.

"Get out of my way, Hudson." Puck spat, his blood pressure rising steadily.

Finn didn't make to move, and Puck lifted his hands to force him to get his big ass out of the way, but Rachel's soft voice broke the tension.

"Hello, Noah." Puck looked around the tall dude and saw her looking at him, a smile that he could only describe as pardoning playing on her lips. Puck side stepped Finn and took a spot next to Rachel, looking down at her leg, then back at her face.

"Rachel, I totally didn't mean to do that to you. I was just so pissed off and then you grabbed me, and I couldn't even think-"

"I forgive you." Before she even had the entire sentence out, Finn was whirling around to look at her, eyes wide and mouth dragging along the floor, Puck following closely after.

Finn hurried beside her, his gawk probing her face and wishing frantically that she would look him in the eye. "Rach, he nearly broke your leg!"

She tensed up at the use of his nickname for her, but let it go. "Yes, well he also is going through a lot of emotional trauma, which is mostly your fault, and I know that if he would have had a clear head, the thought of hurting me would have never crossed his mind." She sighed, moving her leg a bit while wincing. "So, I forgive him."

Puck's stared at her in awe and Finn was practically fuming because honestly _What the hell? _

After a few shared whispers between Rachel and Puck, which _really _got Finn antsy, Puck leaves, slamming his chest into Finn's shoulder as he's passing, and when Finn spun around ready to tackle the man, Rachel calls him towards her while Blaine- who he now knows is just a friend- helps her stand, preparing to leave.

"Yeah?"

"You can mail my key to me sometime in the next week," And with those few simple words, Finn's heart rips to shreds. He opens his mouth to speak, but she doesn't stop, leaving him gaping in a very fish-out-of-water way. "I'm leaving for a few weeks to stay with Blaine and his family so they can take care of me while I deal with," she pointed at her leg, "this." The need to tell her that he'd take care of her was overwhelming. "So I won't be home, but I'm having someone pick up my mail while I'm gone."

Wait, wait, _wait_. "You're leaving?" Finn barely gets the words out.

"Yes." She replies simply. As if she isn't dying inside. As if the pain in her chest isn't nearly unbearable.

"When will you be back?" He asks hopefully, and Rachel wants to smile and tell him an exact date, maybe make some plans for him to come over, but she can't. Because she doesn't know when, and she doesn't think she can deal with seeing him again.

"Currently undetermined." Blaine pipes in from beside her, grabbing her coat from the back of her chair and offering his arm for her to loop her own through. Rachel hesitantly does just that, before looking back to Finn who is watching her like an idiot, his mouth slack.

"Goodbye, Finn."

Her voice has too much finality in it. Like she doesn't intend on ever meeting him again. He starts to panic, taking a step closer to her, but with the sudden look of discomfort she gives him, he stops. If he could rip his heart out of his chest so that he would never be able to feel again, he would do it. This was just too much. "So this is it? Really, Rachel? After everything?" He almost can't believe it. This has to be a dream. "I was right to be scared yesterday."

She knew he meant when he said he was afraid she would hurt him, and she had thought that she would never ever do something to hurt Finn. Not intentionally. Not when he held such a large piece of her heart.

Of course, yesterday she had no idea that she would catch him with his tongue down Quinn's throat. Yesterday, she had been so madly in love with him that he could have had a child named Drizzle and she would have helped start her a college fund!

The fact is, today was not yesterday.

"I would have never hurt you, Finn." Rachel couldn't understand how he thought doing what he did was okay, and that she should just forget it. "You broke my heart first."

"Rachel, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry for you to believe me? I'm sorry, I'm so-"

"I know," Rachel insisted, closing her eyes and lowering her head. "And I've accepted that you feel remorse for doing it. But, that doesn't mean I can forgive you for doing it in the first place, Finn."

She gives Blaine a quick look, then hobbles over to Finn, still somehow managing to look graceful, before looking up at him.

She's so beautiful, he wants to pull her into him and breathe her in. Yesterday, there would have been no problem.

If someone builds a time machine later on in life, he would totally use it to go back and tell Quinn to take a fucking hike. Jesus, why didn't he just do that yesterday? "I'm sorry. But, I can't be near you without feeling my heart break all over again." Her small hand fell on his stubbly cheek, thumb brushing his skin before she pulls him down, laying her tender lips on the flesh her thumb previously occupied, and for a second, he's in heaven. Rachel's there with him, too, because if she's not there, then it's not really heaven.

Who was he kidding? Rachel _was _heaven.

And then she's several feet away, leaning heavily on Blaine as she makes her exit, and Finn just has to sit because he doesn't know how to make his feet move. He never got to tell her loved her. Never got to properly introduce her to his parents as his girlfriend, which he had planned on doing at the wedding today. They had already heard him blab on about her for hours on the phone instead of talking to them about his own life, and his mom had been anticipating meeting the girl who stole her son's heart.

He never got to move in with her and love her and care for her like he know she deserves. And it was all his fault, because he's an idiot who let's tiny blonde women half his size manipulate him into cheating on the best thing to ever happen to him.

Finn smacks himself in the forehead because he is seriously _the biggest moron on Earth._

And now she's gone.

**AN: Well, did you like the end?**

**No?**

**I guess that's good, because I was kidding. I'll have another one up by tomorrow! I just really wanted to get this bad boy out tonight, since it kind of goes with the last chapter. Review (Especially if you're the anal guest), pm me, message me on tumblr at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr . com. Have a great day!**


	11. Chapter 11-Mashed Potato Balloon

**Okay, hi. I deeply apologize for the hiatus but I knew there needed to be a chapter between the one previous to this and the one after this and I had writers block and also felt like I was disappointing all of you with how I where I was taking this story, so I've had to do a lot of editing to make the rest of it much better. **

**Anyway, this is very short, but I will more than likely put the other one up after this. **

"I'm sorry."

Two words. Two words that she had been waiting for.

It was bad enough to be betrayed by someone she cared so much for, but to think that she would never be able to move passed it was a simply devastating thought that Rachel Berry could not, and _would not _entertain.

So, when she got the phone call at 10:46 pm on a Tuesday night, four months and three weeks after the almost-wedding she now considers nothing more than a disaster that will serve as a future muse for a part on Broadway, she released the false rage that she had pretended to build up over the last few months. How could she possibly stay mad when they had finally said those two words?

"I forgive you, Quinn." Rachel gripped the phone tighter, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I understand that you were unaware of Finn and I's impending relationship, and that-"

Quinn spoke up. "Listen, Rachel. I'm happy you get it, but I'd like to be the one to apologize. It isn't your place to just… Openly accept my mistakes because you already understand them." Rachel listened to the quiet movements on the other end of the phone. "There's a lot that I need to say I'm sorry for, you and I both know that."

Was there?

Well, if you count that one time in high school. Or those other times in high school. And that other time when they moved to New York. And at her bachelorette party.

Okay, so maybe she did need to say sorry. Maybe she needed to do it a few times. "Alright. But, Quinn." Rachel listened to the silence on the other end of the line, urging her to continue. "I don't blame you."

The sigh through the phone indicated the Quinn was upset. "I know you don't, Rachel. But you should." She spoke again, this time much more quietly. "Everyone should."

"Look, if this is about Finn-"

"No, Rachel." The blonde shook her head, readjusting the phone in her hand. "Well, I guess it is also about that. Speaking of Finn, I have to tell you-"

What?

_No._

She did _not _want to talk about Finn at any point in the last few months of her life, much less with Quinn when they were making up. "Don't." Rachel's words fell from her mouth like venom, and she quickly scrambled for reconciliation. "I can't deal with that right now. I mean, I can't really handle any direct information about him. So, please. Don't."

"But, Rachel-"

"_No._"

"Fine." Quinn shuffled by the phone, and Rachel walked from her living room to her kitchen, an empty tub of ice cream in hand. "Where are you?"

Rachel threw the tub away, slipping passed her counter where she had earlier been trying to sort the mail between trash and bills. "Home? It's almost 11 at night, Quinn. You're lucky I was even still awake. Thankfully, some mainstream networks have realized that classic hits bring in a broader and more diverse audience. I just so happened to channel surf and find Breakfast at Tiffanys-"

"Rachel, stop talking." Quinn spoke softly. "Where is 'home'? You moved, remember?"

"Oh, I just moved up a story in the same building." Rachel walked to the fridge debated whether or not to open it up. If she did, there would be no going back. She already consumed all of the ice cream and she hadn't worked out in 24 hours.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." And then the line went dead.

Rachel had just finished off a smoothie when the phone rang about ten minutes later. Maybe Quinn was speeding these days. She picked up, wiping her lips of the drying substance. "Apartment 54, Quinn."

"So, this is your number?"

Oh.

Not Quinn.

"Finn?" Rachel felt her cheeks warming up, something she hadn't felt in months. But, this time, something was different. Not just with her, although there was something different with her as well, but also with him. His voice sounded hoarse. Like he had been crying, or perhaps trying to recreate one of Barbra's rather difficult solos.

Then again, that was probably a problem Rachel alone faced.

"Yeah, it's me."

If she wasn't absolutely positive that he had been crying, she would have hung up then and there. Rachel Berry was done with one Finn Hudson. She had come to terms with that. She was a better person because of it.

"How did you get my number?"

"Oh, I uh, asked a friend who just so happened to know a friend who had it." Well, that was an incredibly vague response if she had ever heard one. "Look, Rachel, I'm sorry to have just called you out of the blue, but I- Actually, I don't know why I did this. It was probably a really crappy idea."

She had sympathy, she did. The old Rachel would have assured him that he was incapable of crappy ideas, that they were all just poorly executed.

"I have a guest coming over, Finn. I can't talk right now." She heard his voice begin to speak up when she hit the End Call button and laid her phone down. That was… Unexpected to say the very least. What are the odds that both Quinn and Finn would contact her on the same night for the first time in months? She didn't want to think of why.

"Quinn, the balloon full of mashed potatoes Junior year wasn't your fault." Rachel laughed and rolled her eyes, successfully cutting off the blonde woman from continuing her long list of wrong doings.

That was, of course, until Quinn looked down at her feet and bit her lip. Her tell when she's lying. "I'm trying to apologize here."

"But… How? Mark Richards threw that at me. He was in Glee! How did you even know him?"

"You tried out for cheerleading that year and I was really upset about it." She rubbed her fingers together, shrugging her shoulders. "It was easy, really." It was such a Quinn thing to do that Rachel's anger only lasted seconds. Tonight was about forgiving, Rachel Berry. Not about rehashing all of the bad things your best friend apparently was the cause of in High School.

"I was surprised he even gave up his mashed potatoes for that." Rachel laughed to herself. "I swear he ate at least half his weight in food every day at lunch."

Quinn was now laughing as well, smiling up at her friend. "Do you remember that one time he fought Lefty Nelson because Lefty apparently stole a piece of his bread?"

The two of them choked back tears as they recalled the rather ridiculous things that occurred in their school. It was almost as if nothing bad had ever happened between the two of them. As if the world was aligned just correctly and the only thing that really mattered was where they were now and where they were going. As if the past was really just the past.

But, the feelings couldn't last long. The world just didn't work that way.

"Have you talked to Finn recently?" Quinn asked, her eyes not quite meeting Rachel's.

Rachel stared at the girl for a bit longer before sighing, the ends of her lips tilting up. "Relax, Quinn. I'm not going to grow horns and set you on fire or anything. I'm not upset anymore."

"You're not?" She looked unsure. Hell, Rachel would be too. How could she understand that one of the most dramatic people in the world wasn't going to cause a scene?

"No." There were two options here. Rachel could open herself up, tell Quinn about the journey she took to self discovery, or she could be just as vague as Finn was in his phone call earlier. The thing was, she really did forgive Quinn. They weren't teenagers anymore. Not everything was about finding love and getting mad at those who got in the way of it. She loved Quinn and she always had. She's Rachel's best friend. Nothing would change that.

And that's what Rachel spent the next hour telling her.

"-Honestly, when I think about it, I'm not sure I was ever truly in love with him. We didn't even really technically date. My original admission of love was composed in a state of pleasure and the endorphins in my mind had complete control over my actions." Quinn looked disgusted, but amused. "How could I have thought that I loved someone I hardly knew? Sex isn't truly getting to know someone. At least, not in the way I would want to."

Quinn held up her hand, interjecting. "I just want it to be known that I was also not in love with Finn." Rachel leaned her head to the side a little because, yes, that was clear. "But, I was, well, am in love with Puck."

"Are you two back together?" Rachel's eyes widened and was now very interested.

Laughing, Quinn leaned back on her side of the couch. "God no. I wish, and I've tried, I have, but he's being stubborn about all of it."

"Alright, so if you love Noah, why did you cheat on him?" It wasn't intended to be such a blunt question, but come on, this **is **Rachel we're talking about here.

Quinn appeared to remember the same thing and decided against calling her out on it. "I was nervous. I was unsure of whether or not Puck actually wanted me and I didn't know if I could go through with the wedding. So, my instincts told me to do something that I knew would ruin all of it because I wanted to call off the wedding without being held fully responsible."

"But why would you call off the wedding if you loved Noah?"

"Because, Rachel. If he didn't love me back, what's the point?"

Good question. She realized this was the reason that she was capable of getting over Finn as well. What's the point of it all if you know it's going nowhere?

Rachel yawned, nodding the entire time. When she finished, she looked up at Quinn. "I understand."

"I feel like shit for tearing apart two friends, though." Quinn leaned forward and grasped her glass of red wine Rachel had poured her earlier, lifting the clear crystal and placing it on her perfectly pink lips before taking a sip. "I'm not completely heartless. I think about it at least once a week."

That sounded about right for the woman sitting beside her. Once a week. That was Quinn's version of guilt.

"I think it's getting pretty late," Rachel checked her phone and along with four missed calls from the phone number she now knew to be Finn's, her clock said it was 2:49am. "Oh no! My eyes are going to have bags beneath them!"

"I guess you're right, I should get to bed soon." Quinn stood up, turning around to look at Rachel who was already jumping up to go get some cream for her eyes. "Thank you for listening and forgiving me, Rachel."

It was then, for the first time since she walked through the door, that Rachel noticed the effect that this guilt must have had on her. It was in the little things, of course, because Quinn looked just as beautiful as always, but that didn't mean that her laughter lines weren't a bit more creased and her smile a little more faded. Her cheeks weren't as colorful as usual and her eyeliner was a bit longer on her left eye. It was quite unusual for a usually flawless Quinn Fabray.

"Of course," Rachel walked forward and pulled the blonde into a hug. It felt like forever since they had done this; it had been missed.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Quinn asked, walking to the door.

Rachel answered effortlessly, "Nothing."

"Not anymore you're not. I'm going shopping tomorrow and you're coming with me." Quinn blew Rachel a kiss and smiled, walking out and shutting the door behind her. Leave it to Quinn to throw herself back into Rachel's life, then leave such elegance that even Rachel was left speechless.

She walked through the house, turning off lights and putting glasses in the dishwasher, before she picked up her phone and saw yet another phone call from Finn. Although she was over him, that didn't mean she suddenly wanted to have a conversation with him.

But, this meant he really needed to talk, right? He had never called her so much before.

Rachel walked to her room and sat with her knees beneath her on her bed, looking down at her phone. Finn's number showed up on the screen, two paths before her.

Rachel chose the one of instant regret. "Hi," she spoke into the mic.

"Hi…" Finn stopped talking for a moment, but then continued. "I didn't expect you to answer."

"Neither did I." She stated quickly, then scrambled to change the subject. "Why did you call then?"

"Well, I still had hope. It kind of feels like that's all I have these days." She knew he must either be really sad or tipsy. Maybe both.

"It's late, Finn."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you." Rachel was about to agree with him, but he didn't give her enough time. "It's just that I didn't know who else to call and I've had your number lying around to a while. I just… I'm in this house all alone," No. No way. He did **not **call her for some sort of _**booty call! **_"and I don't know if I'll be able to close my eyes without falling apart." What? "I just wanted to ask you to stay on the phone with me. Until I'm asleep, that is."

Um… What? They used to do this when they were… Well, whatever they were. But, tonight was surely not occasion for such a thing. Especially because they hadn't even spoken in four months. And because she wasn't sure she ever wanted to speak to him again as of 24 hours ago. "Finn…"

"I completely get that we're not even acquaintances right now, but… God, Rachel. I'm going through some real stupid life crap right now, and I would tell you if I thought I could do it without sounding like a loser, but I can't." She heard him swallow and his voice grow more torn. "I can't."

"Is there no one else you could ask to do this?"

"No, I uh… Don't have a girlfriend or anything like that."

Rachel sighed. "I just meant a friend or something."

"Oh," Finn exhaled, clearly disappointed that she was no longer interested. "No, I don't really have much of those these days either."

It was sad, really. Finn was such a great person. He didn't deserve to be so depressed. Not that she'd help him not be, but still.

"I'm sorry, Finn." And she was. Maybe she hadn't completely forgiven him like she previously thought. "I really need to go to bed now."

He didn't say anything for a while, then quickly spoke. "Yeah, of course, sorry I asked." And then he was gone. Rachel sat on her bed, the phone still to her ear, shocked that she had even spoke to him in the first place. It had been so long and their conversation skills had become seriously awkward.

Why had he been crying? She had half a mind to text him and ask, but she also didn't want to know. No, not want. She didn't need to know. It was no longer her business and she refused to allow him to make it her business. Not anymore. Not after she realized that she had blindly thrown herself at him without any result. Not now after months of suffering. Not after she had finally got over him.

Still, she was curious.

It had been nearly a month, but for the first time in a long time, Rachel Berry fell asleep thinking about Finn Hudson.

**Okay, well I know we didn't move far in terms of plot here, but I really needed Rachel to forgive Quinn, and I decided that all of you needed some Finchel interaction considering you've all waited for quite some time. Review, please. And hell, even message me at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr . com. I hope you all have a wonderful day, and expect a longer, more detailed chapter next. **


	12. Chapter 12-Bad Habits

**Okay, well, here's the next chapter. Not much to say about this one.**

In the months to come, Finn tries to contact Rachel again. Calls and texts go unanswered. It reminds him of when he had showed up at her apartment with her key and knocked. After ten minutes with no response, he used the key to open the apartment door, leaning in and getting a bit distracted by the smell of her flooding the atmosphere around him.

When he felt as if he can breathe oxygen again, he sat the key down on the sofa table and left, leaving his love for her in the dust.

That was two years ago.

Other than their short phone calls over a year ago, Finn hadn't talked to Rachel at all. It's like she just… Disappeared off the face of the Earth.

He's had his heart guarded since he left her home that day, and he was sure that if he ever saw her, he'd have no problem being cordial and leaving after a simple greeting. He hasn't thought of her and felt the familiar sharp pain in his chest in at least a month, and he's pretty sure that means he's over her. If anything, he's just hurt by the way he was heartbroken, not the actual heart break.

That's what he's giving himself a mental pep talk over- for the millionth time- when he hears her. It's as if his ears become instantly more sensitive. There's a split second of doubt, this not being the first time that he's mistakenly thought he heard her, but then his heart picks up speed when he hears someone yell her name and he knows that it's not his imagination.

It's definitely not the place he expected her to be. Finn suspected she would be performing on Broadway by now, not working at an Italian restaurant. He steps around the crowd of people forming at the entrance waiting for a table, his height playing to his advantage for once as his eyes search for the brunette that stole his heart a couple years before.

And then he sees her.

There's a busty blonde waitress walking around, her black button up shirt straining against her chest, but Finn only cares about the tiny thing of a woman behind her. He knows it's her instantly, the sway of her hips when she's walking towards what appears to be a manager instantly familiar. Memories of nights and early mornings with her under and on top of him break through his carefully constructed barriers and land in the forefront of his mind. Just like that, every little pep talk he had given himself was forgotten.

She yells something at the man, then turns and walks through a few people like she owns the place. Without a second thought, he's pushing further into the crowd, people pushing him back and growling harsh words, but he doesn't care. His eyes find her again when he steps up beside the wall, and this time, he can see her face.

Her hair is shorter now and in curls, which he's never known her to do before. She's a bit older, there's something more mature and collected about her features but she's still so beautiful. If anything, she's even more beautiful. Her skin is golden and practically glowing. With lips of an angel, she smiles at something someone tells her. That's something that hasn't changed. Her smile still brightens up the entire place.

She laughs at something else one of her coworkers says, her head still tossing back in a moment of delight, before walking to front. The front is where he is.

Finn feels his face grow hot, his hands getting sweaty and he quickly shoves them into his pockets. He's not ready. She looks so happy, so content with her life. What would she think when she saw him again? He isn't happy like she is. Knowing Rachel, she'd see right through him before he even spoke. What if she was over him? Finn's sure that would kill him, sending him spiraling all over again.

He gives her one last glance before turning around and leaving the restaurant.

A week later, he returns and thankfully, it's much less crowded. He doesn't see her when he walks in, and so he gets a table for one and takes his seat, his eyes searching around him.

"What would you like to drink?"

The voice is so sweet, he's sure it would make sugar taste bitter, and when his eyes flick upwards, they land on the blonde he had seen before. "Water, please."

She smiles and bats her eyelashes, and if Finn wasn't on a stake out for his ex… Ex-something, he'd definitely get her number and probably take her home and exercise his frustrations out, but his heart is definitely not in it tonight, so he simply smiles back and looks down, grabbing his menu.

"Coming right up," she chirps, walking off.

Finn looks up after she goes, giving in and watching the girl sway her hips like she's trying to create a storm, but the brunette quickly passes by her and his eyes much more willingly follow her. She has her hair in a high tight ponytail, little tendrils hanging around her face. She walks out of the kitchen and up to the hostess podium, whispering something to the woman who stands there before they both look around and the other woman shrugs. Rachel's shoulders slump a little and she says something else before walking off, her eyes searching the area around her before she goes back into the kitchen.

He knows she isn't regular staff because she's wearing a white and blue button up that's tucked into a black skirt, which isn't what anyone else who works there is wearing. Maybe she's a manager as well?

His waitress comes back with his water, sitting it down in front of him, a piece of paper beside the cup. Finn's eyebrows lift as he flips the paper, spotting ten digits.

The woman winks at him, and Finn shakes his head, "Oh, no, I'm sorry. I can't take this."

She giggles like it's the funniest thing in the world and puts her hand out, halting his motions to give her back the paper. "Keep it."

"Finn."

Blonde woman forgotten, Finn's head spins faster than previously thought possible before his eyes land on _her. _Seeing her from a distance didn't do her justice. She was even more pretty than he remembered, and she looked so cute fiddling nervously with her hands.

Wait, no. No, he wasn't having those thoughts. Not anymore. He was over her. This was just from habit, all of these little thoughts.

Meanwhile, Rachel was having her own personal melt down.

Why was he there? How had he found her? Or, maybe he wasn't even looking for her, and he just happened to show up. Either way, this wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to ever see him again. What was she even going to say?

"Hey, Rach," he breathed out, and for a second, it was like nothing had changed.

She was just Rachel and he was just Finn, and that was it.

But, then the moment passed and reality snuck in and bit them on the ass, because Rachel looked pretty confused and uncomfortable, and Finn remembered that he had basically cheated on her and she dumped him, but all he really cared about was that he was finally seeing her, even if he was kind of pissed off that she technically hadn't called or contacted him at all since it happened.

"What are you doing here?" She asked timidly, feet still planted where she stood.

Finn dragged his hand through his hair, shrugging. "Well, I was debating on whether or not to get the fettuccine alfredo," he pretended to look over the menu once more. "Any suggestions?" His question went unanswered, so Finn looked back up to see her unamused expression. "I came in here last Friday to get a bite, and I saw you and left." He looked passed her, not willing to wait and see what emotions she might let show. "Today was the first day I got enough balls to actually come in and talk to you."

Rachel only nodded. He looked so nervous. She wanted to comfort him and let him know that she was happy he came by, that it was good to see him, but Rachel wasn't actually sure that it was.

"May I sit?" When Finn looked up at her, confusion flashed across his face because _of course _she could sit with him, before it quickly melted into his signature half smile that used to make her weak in the knees before gesturing in front of him.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Rachel took a seat in the chair before him, patting down her skirt as she did. She placed her hands delicately on the table in front of her, her eyes on his the entire time. It was awkward. How could it not be? He had cheated on her. With her former best friend. On their date night.

Her skin began to heat up at the memory, so she quickly tried to side track her mind. "How are you? How's life been?"

"Good, I guess." He replied sitting up straighter. "Hudmel Company just partnered with Gibson guitars, and we expanded our revenue by 36%." Suddenly the blinds had all been opened when her face lit up with a smile.

"Oh my god, Finn! That's amazing!" She beamed, clapping like a child.

He grinned down at his lap, chuckling. "Yeah, it's great. Since I'm the owner, I don't have to do very much, but I get to tell other's what to do and have to meet these guys from different companies all over the world. Like last month, I got to go to Italy and when I wasn't in meetings, I went to this place called Antica Pizzeria Port ' Alba." He stopped talking, creating anticipation which was clear on Rachel's face. She really was adorable. "It's the world's first Pizzeria, and although there wasn't a lot of grease, it was still really, really good and kind of changed my life."

Rachel laughed at that, tossing her head back and closing her eyes. When she was done, she inhaled and looked back at Finn, who said a simple "now you", and after a quick smile, Rachel lifted her hands and gestured around her. "I own this."

Finn looked around with a new insight, seeing subtle hints of Rachel everywhere, from the randomly placed gold stars to the black and white photos of celebrities Rachel used to tell him about. "That's awesome Rach," he watched her face for a reaction to her nickname, but she only continued to smile. "What about Broadway?"

Now, that got a reaction. Her face instantly fell and he knew he had struck some nerve. "That was a pipe dream, Finn." Her voice seemed to be flippant, but her body betrayed her. He could tell straightaway that this was something that really upset her.

"Don't say that. You're an incredible singer. Like, the best I've ever heard." He saw a hint of blush on her cheeks, but other than that, she looked as if he was just blowing smoke up her ass. Since when was Rachel Berry insecure about her voice? "Do you remember when you sang to me for the first time?" He knew she did. Honestly, he could have brought up another, less intimate occasion when she sang, but he _wanted _to see her heat up at the memory. It had been after he stayed the night at her house and she was getting dressed when he woke.

"_You weren't planning on leaving me the morning after again, were you?" Finn mumbled when he rolled over, watching her roll up her stockings._

_Rachel smiled down at him, walking over to kiss him before stepping into her heels. "I expected to be back before you woke up." Her long legs always sent him into a trance, watching them in awe. Without warning, Finn pushed his hand out from under the blanket, running it over her stocking clad skin. _

_Her shiver was clear as day, and she let out a small whimper before taking a step back. "Not now, Finn. I have to go to work to solve a problem and then I'll be right back." Her voice was stern, but he saw the smirk on her lips. The lips that he wanted to crush beneath his own._

_His lower half began to stir impatiently. Finn sat up in the bed, then got out, walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her, his bare body pressing into her clothes. _

"_Finn," she whined._

"_I'll be quick," he persuaded, his hands traveling lower on her body to play with the fabric of her shirt over her stomach._

_Rachel looked up at him, her resolve quickly fading. "No." He didn't believe her._

_Placing a sweet kiss on her neck, she tilted her head to give him better access, her fingers lifting to tug at his hair. Finn traced patterns on her lower stomach, stopping when she let out a gentle moan. Rachel looked into his eyes. "Are you sure?" He asked, wanting to know that it was alright, even though this was something they had done many times._

_Rachel grabbed his hand, pushing it beneath the material of her panty hose and underwear. "Shut up and touch me." She whispered._

_He didn't need to be told twice. His fingers pressed against the heat between her smooth thighs, a groan jumping from his throat when he felt how wet she already was. "Rach, you feel so good."_

_Her back arched and she ground her hips forward, forcing his finger to rub against her clit. "Finnnnnn," she cried leaning her head back to rest on his shoulder._

_His lips found her neck, tongue and teeth meeting the sensitive skin there while his hands began to pick up speed, one splayed out on her stomach, and the other slipping two fingers into her, thrusting to meet her erratic hip movements._

_A loud moan left her lips, and he jumped when he felt her small hand reach behind her and take hold of him. He nearly came right there, but fought against it while grinding his teeth. He wanted to last. He wanted to catapult over the edge with her._

_Finn pumped his hand, his thumb now massaging her nub with three fingers inside of her, her own hand sliding up and down his hard erection while occasionally stopping to rub at the moisture on the tip. _

_He felt his knees lock and the warmth in his stomach began to scorch. "Oh. Oh God, __**Rach! **__I'm gonna-"_

_He rammed into her hand once, releasing a loud yell as he toppled over. Shame from not being able to hold out any longer flooded through him. Rachel only put her hand on his wrist, pushing it further down, trying to get some of the friction back._

_Determined to make her feel good, Finn spun her around, pulling her into him as his hand once again picked up speed. His mouth crashed into hers epically, his tongue laving against hers as his fingers strummed her like a guitar._

_It didn't take long for her to start to peak, and Finn smiled into her lips as she began to start her inevitable chanting. "Finn, fuck Finn." She grabbed her breast, kneading it while huffing into the air. "I can't, oh my god, Finn, yes, harder, __**please baby**__ harder."_

_Who was he to deny her?_

_Moving to the side so that his arm could have more room, he did as she asked, her hips now pounding into his hand, meeting each other thrust for thrust. Rachel's head fell into the crook of his shoulder, biting and sucking while her body attempted to find its personal bliss._

_He knew she was about to climax when her movements stopped, which he had learned meant he needed to keep going, making the moment as good for her a possible. Her fingernails dug into his skin, and she clamped her eyes shut as the wave of pleasure washed through her. "Fuck yes, fuck yes, yes! Finn!" She screamed, her body shaking as his fingers still pushed into her, even with her tight walls enclosing around them._

_When she was done, Finn helped her sit down, to which she completely collapsed onto the bed, flailing out like a starfish on the beach. _

_He smirked while walking to the closet to get her one of her work skirts, and that's when he heard her. He had already known she was a singer, it was all she talked about and he was fine with listening, but it wasn't until that moment that she had actually sang in front of him, and honestly, it was like a whole new world._

_**Wise men say, only fools rush in**_

_**But I can't help, falling in love with you**_

_Finn took a step back, looking over his shoulder at her. She lay with her eyes closed, running her fingers through her hair to try and make it look as if she hadn't just been in the throws of passion. _

_**Shall I stay, would it be a sin?**_

_**If I can't help, falling in love with you.**_

_Her voice. Jesus Christ, her voice. Finn could stay right there and just listen to her for a lifetime and still feel that he had accomplished everything one possibly could as a human. _

_**Like a river flows, surely to the sea**_

_**Darling so it goes, some things were meant to be.**_

_He tried not to think too much of it, but they had been seeing each other for three weeks. He expected himself to be completely terrified of the thought of love, but if anything, it just made him want her more. _

_Tossing the skirt on the bed beside her, Finn took Rachel by surprise when he grabbed her face and pulled it up to his own, his body lying on top of hers. _

"_What was that for?" She questioned when he pulled away, foreheads resting on one another._

"_You're really awesome," he gave her a quick kiss. "And your voice rocks." _

When he pulled himself out of his memories, he saw that Rachel had a similar look of distance.

"You're really good, Rachel. Don't give up."

She shook herself of the past, looking at the present. Finn was staring at her, and it took her several seconds to register what he had said. "Finn, it was a stupid dream. It was never going to come true."

"Stop it, okay? Stop doubting yourself." Finn reached forward for her hand, despite his anger at being ignored for two years and despite her discomfort with being near him. "Your dream is special." She began to roll her eyes, pulling her hand back, but he held tight. "It's special because it's yours, and you're special." She stopped and watched him.

Why did he have to say such sweet things when she is supposed to be over him? Why did he have to make it so hard? It had been two years, why the hell is he still making her body heat up? This needs to end.

But, how?

**Annnnddd it's over. The next chapter is already written and if you guys show enough love, I might just post it tonight. ;) **

**Review and maybe message me at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr . com. Have a wonderful day!**


	13. Chapter 13-Are You Serious?

Alarms went off in her head when his eyes fell from her own, landing on her lips. Although she fought the urge to do the same, she felt the tug in her head, warning her to get the hell out of there, stat.

"Finn-"

"I'm sorry." Rachel bit her lip, looking down at the table. Finn wouldn't allow it, though. His hand gripped her chin and lifted it, forcing her to gaze into his eyes. "For everything. All of it. None of it was worth losing you."

Rachel let out a heavy breath, her eyes finally falling to look at his lips, which he immediately licked.

She needed to tell him. Before he found out from someone else.

"Finn, I have-"

"Rachel!" One of her co-workers screamed. "Your man's here!"

Finn looked up at that, and Rachel took the opportunity to completely pull away, turning in her chair.

Her man? Rachel had a boyfriend? Of course she had a boyfriend, she was beautiful and smart and super amazing, so yeah that should have been obvious. Still, Finn felt like he was going to puke at the thought. That, or kick something.

Jealousy was a bitch.

Rachel spun towards him, her eyes flashing with something that resembled an apology. "I didn't want you to find out this way." He thought he heard her mumble something along the lines of "or at all", but he didn't understand. Was she that worried about him knowing she had a boyfriend? Why? Did she still care?

His heart gained hope then, and he smiled up at her, not really caring what asshole was about to come strolling through those doors because Rachel was _his. _They were endgame.

"Where you at, babe?" A deep voice shouted from around the corner. He felt her could take him, whoever it was. He didn't _sound _like he'd be that much of a fight. "Hello?"

Hold on. Finn knew that voice.

His eyes shot towards Rachel, who looked more than a little guilty. No. No fucking way.

"I was thinking we could see about those hand cuffs tonight. You still have them right?" The man behind the voice asked, strolling around the corner.

Rachel opened her mouth to say something, possibly chastise him for talking about things like that in front of her customers, but she couldn't manage to get a word out. Her stomach was in knots and she knew this wasn't going to end well.

"Rachel?" The man asked, walking right up to her. He looked concerned, and was preparing to speak to her again, when his eyes slid passed the girl who looked about ready to jump out of her own skin, landing on the man who was now standing behind the table. "Well, I sure as shit didn't expect that."

"What the hell?" Finn nearly shouted, pushing his chair back so hard it fell and hit the floor, a loud crash ricocheting like thunder.

"Finn, calm down." Rachel said.

Both men disregarded her though, their eyes straining on the other. "Yeah, calm down, dude."

"You two? Really?!" This time, he was yelling. Several of Rachel's workers came out with questioning looks on their faces, but Rachel merely told them to close up the restaurant and to go back to work.

When she looked back, both men were glaring at each other. "Finn, I'm sorry. I know no one told you, but I didn't think either of us would ever see you again."

"So, what? Are you his girlfriend now?" Finn was seething. How could she do this to him? How could she move on, and onto his best friend? This was so screwed up! Of all people, why did she choose Puck? He felt like he could break a wall. This wasn't how any of this was supposed to turn out.

Puck snorted, and Rachel elbowed him in the side, much to Finn's disdain. He looked at them, waiting for an answer, and it was Rachel who decided to throw the ice bucket of truth at him. "We're engaged, Finn."

"No, there's no way." Finn supplied after a few minutes. Rachel wasn't sure if he was talking to them or himself.

"He asked me last Friday," Rachel whispered, and Finn knew why the words left her mouth so quietly. Because they both knew that he had been here last week. He had been here the day Puck asked her. He could have stopped it. He could have kept this from happening.

Why did everyone choose Puck over him?

His eyes found Puck's fingers wrapped around Rachel's waist, as if they were meant to be there, and Finn couldn't help himself. "Why did you have to go after Rachel, man?! Of all people!" Finn tightly gripped his hair with both hands, looking between the two of them.

Rachel seemed hurt by everything occurring around her, but Puck just held more firmly onto her waist and glared at Finn. "You cheated on her, dude. Stop acting as if you're the one hurting." Puck rolled his eyes and huffed. "We aren't doing this to somehow spite you. Hell, neither of us thought you'd ever come around!"

"And that's my fault?" Finn wanted to scream and rip his god damn hair out! Why was all of this happening? "Like I haven't been waiting for two years for one of you to talk to me and let me know where you were?" His words were meant for both of them, but he couldn't keep himself from focusing on Rachel. Of course Puck had been his best friend, but it was understandable for him to not speak to him. Rachel leaving him, moving out, changing her number, and not telling him about any of it was utterly ridiculous and made him furious.

"Finn-"

"Don't 'Finn' me like that, Rachel Berry." He spat out, his chest constricting when her eyes watered. "You know I won't be able to stay mad if you do, and I really want to stay mad right now, alright?" She bit her lip, nodding quietly.

Finn groaned when Puck started talking again, irrationally hoping he had left. "Look, Hudson. I know it might be hard to believe, but I love Rachel." The taller man swallowed back the bile rising up his throat when Puck smiled down at Rachel, who looked thankful but still uncomfortable. "And I know that she loved you once, because I was the one picking up the pieces and stuff when she was crying on the phone to me." Finn's eyes went to Rachel, who was incredibly interested in her shoes. "But that's over, and I hope you don't try to be a dick-" Rachel hit him in the stomach, and Puck once again rolled his eyes. "I mean _jerk_, about it all because Berry and I are actually super good together and she gets me more than anyone I've ever met. Like, even when I'm being an asshole and don't pay attention to her, she's really cool about it and lets me know that I need to get my shit together, and I do."

Finn's automatic thought was that he would always pay attention to her. But, then he tried to access the more rational part of his mind. Rachel was happy right now, or so she seemed, and Puck seemed even better off than when he was with Quinn. Besides, isn't this what he wanted? To move on? Albeit that the wrong person in his future fantasy moved on first, and onto his best friend at that, but still, it was a start. A super painful start, but one nonetheless.

"I won't do anything to mess it up." Finn said, Rachel whipping her head towards him. He wouldn't?

Puck smiled at his former friend, holding his hand out. "Kickass, dude." Rachel nudged him again and Puck squeezed her sides, causing her to outright laugh, to which he kissed her quickly and chuckled. "Babe, you've changed me for the better and stuff, but there are just some things you can't change about the Puckster!"

Nope, he definitely wasn't ready to see any of this.

Finn swiftly turned around, tossing down a few bucks for his drink and getting ready to get out of there when the sweetest and kindest and worst voice in the world stopped him. "Finn?" He took several breaths before he could look at her, her body now fully separated from Puck's and a small smile on her pink lips. "We're having dinner at our house with a lot of old friends tomorrow night." She picked at a fallen strand of hair, entrancing Finn despite knowing Puck was right beside her. "Puck said he's inviting Santana too, and I don't know if you two are still close," Rachel inwardly sighed when she remembered how being jealous of the Latina was the least of her problems, "but you are welcome to come if you'd like."

She knew it'd be torture for him, and that he probably wouldn't go, but she wanted to offer him the choice because, well, even if she had moved on, she still missed him. She missed him more than anything, and seeing him again would definitely bring a bit more happiness to her in this confusing time.

He wanted to say no, wanted to yell and scream about how that would literally be the _last _thing he wanted to do. But, she was giving him that look that made him malleable and bend to her whims. "What time?" He choked out, defeated by his own emotions.

"6." Puck walked towards him. "If you give me your number, I'll text you the address."

They exchanged numbers and even had a few laughs before Finn left, almost as if they were friends again.

They weren't friends, though. If they were friends, Finn wouldn't be back at that restaurant the next morning, sending one of the waitresses to go and find her so that he could spend more time with her alone. He wouldn't be thinking of ways to get her back. He wouldn't still be so hopelessly in love with her.

So, no. He and Puck weren't friends.

"Finn? What are you doing here?" Rachel asks, drawing him from his thoughts.

He smiled up at her, and this time her hair is down, hardly any make-up and one of her high-waisted skirts that he loved so much clinging to her petite body. "I just thought that maybe I could take you out for lunch."

Rachel beamed back at him, pulling out her phone and looking at the time. "I usually don't leave until noon, and while I don't condone neglecting work," Finn couldn't help but chuckle at how she always managed to fit a life lesson into a normal sentence, "I suppose 7 minutes isn't going to kill anyone."

She ran to the back, grabbing her purse and coming back out, telling on of her workers that she was taking lunch and would be back in an hour or so.

"Who's this?" A male host asked from behind the podium in the front. Finn smiled at the man, a little anxious under his heavy stare. "Is he single?"

Rachel looked between the man and Finn. "Um, this is my… my… Finn." He was positive his grin couldn't get any bigger, and Rachel was positive that she was an absolute idiot. _My Finn? Ugh, Rachel. Get control of yourself._ "Finn, this is Randall. One of my Host."

Finn shook the man's hand. "You never answered the last question." Randall reminded her, and Rachel realized that Finn himself hadn't told her whether or not he had a girlfriend. She also realized that she really didn't care to know. Still, she looked over to him in question.

"Yes, I'm single." Finn spoke almost carefully. "For two years now." He allowed himself to glance at Rachel, not sure how to feel about her mouth opening and shutting a few times. It had been inappropriate, he knew that. But still, he felt as if she needed to know that he hadn't moved on. Even if she was about to be married, that didn't mean he didn't love her.

Randall looked between the two of them, the tension obvious. He smiled, pushing Rachel towards the door. "Well, have fun you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He added in a sing song voice. This brought on an even more awkward aura, and Randall chuckled softly. "Kidding, now go."

Rachel waved, walking through the door that Finn held open for her. When they stepped out together, each was assaulted with the cool New York air. "I didn't realize it was this cold." Rachel's chattering teeth were nearly as loud as the car horns from the nearby traffic. When Finn looked at her, he noticed she didn't have a jacket.

"Rachel, you're going to freeze! Go back in and get your jacket." He commanded her, stopping her from walking any further.

"I didn't bring one today." Finn gave her a disapproving look before taking a step away from her. Rachel watched as he slipped his long arms out of his own jacket. "Finn, no! Then you'll be cold!" She tried to make him stop, but he continued to shed the layer of clothing, and once he finished, he gave her a small smirk, pushing the fabric onto her tiny shoulders. The arms of the jacket brushed against her knees.

Finn lifted his own arms to show her the sleeves of his sweater. "I, unlike someone I know, actually pay attention to the weather when I walk outside."

Rolling her eyes, Rachel grabbed his arm and pulled him along with her as they continued to walk. "Thank you, Finn."

"No problem."

They walked for a while, Finn leading. Rachel was still completely unaware of where they were going. She had asked plenty of times, but Finn would just smile childishly down at her, like he was dragging her downstairs to show her Christmas presents, and not all over New York. 'You'll see', he kept saying, but it had been at last half an hour. She was definitely going to need to call in to work and let them know she wouldn't be there at 1.

"Alright, we're here." Finn announced, and when Rachel looked up, she squealed.

"Finn! Are you serious!?" She jumped up and down, smiling and pulling his cheek down to kiss it. Finn's breath quickly was sucked from his body, but Rachel only laughed happily, pulling him into the karaoke bar.

The odd looking pair pranced in, the smaller of the two eager enough for the two of them as she bounced in front of the man at the front. "Where do we sign up for karaoke?"

He looked down at her, his eyes soaking her all in, and Finn felt himself hold onto her a little tighter. How did this man know they weren't dating? He was given no indication that they weren't, and yet he still looked at her like that!

"You sing, sweetheart?" The man asked, leaning over the desk in front of him and laying his chin in his hand.

Rachel nodded, clearly oblivious to the flirtatious nature of the son of a bitch before her.

"I'd like to see that mouth of yours do something," he mumbled, and Finn felt himself crack.

He slammed his hand down on the hard surface, making Rachel jump back and the man glare. "How about you shut the hell up and not talk about her like that, alright?"

"Finn," Rachel whispered, putting her hand over his and pulling it away. He automatically lost most of the anger he felt, staring down at her by his side. She gave him a reassuring smile, tightening her grip on his hand. She looked at the man who was now sizing up Finn. Clearly he was delusional if he thought she would ever choose him over Finn. Hypothetically, of course. "Sir that is no way to speak to a customer. Now, the signup sheet please."

The man rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he pulled out a booklet that had pages and pages of songs, sliding it over to her. "You go and talk to the woman behind the bar, let her know what song you want to sing and she'll set it up for you."

"Thank you," she beamed, walking away. Finn glared at the man as he followed behind her.

The lady behind the bar told them to wait until the next person finished, and so they took a seat at an open table. Finn ordered them some fried pickles and a salad for Rachel, to which she seemed surprised.

"What?"

Rachel brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You remembered that I'm a vegan." She was surprised that he remembered that?

"Well, yeah. That's a big part of your life, so of course I remember." He told her like it was nothing. But, it wasn't nothing.

"Noah often forgets," she said quietly. She probably shouldn't tell Finn any of the things Noah does wrong in their relationship, but if there was anything Finn and Rachel had been more than lovers, it was friends. It felt natural to tell him these things.

Finn snorted, leaning further across the table. Close enough that his freckles that were splattered across his cheeks were in clear view. "Yeah, well, he's an idiot, so what can you expect?" He smiled widely.

She shoved his shoulder, laughing. "He's not an idiot. He just has other things on his mind." More like other people.

Finn's smile faltered, and Rachel felt his fingers pulling on hers. Her insides clenched when his thumb began to rub circles on the top, smooth skin being soothed by calloused fingers. "You should be the only thing on his mind, Rach."

She didn't mean to say it. She really didn't. It was just a moment of word vomit, and before she knew it, it came spewing out. "Like I was the only thing on your mind when you were kissing Quinn?"

Expecting anger, Rachel ducked her eyes, waiting for the argument. So, she didn't quite know how to handle it when Finn said, "Yeah, you were."

Her brown eyes met his, each trying to figure the other out. What did he mean? If he was thinking of her, why the hell did he kiss Quinn? It just didn't make any sense.

"Why are you with Puck, Rachel?" Finn asked, his voice calm, but his heart thundering. Just the thought of the two of them together made him sick.

"Because I love him," she answered. Finn could tell that she was still convincing herself of that.

Finn shook his head. "No you don't. At least, not in that way." Rachel opened her mouth to speak, probably to tell him he was wrong, but he kept talking. "I know you, Rachel. You can't honestly tell me that you want to marry him." His voice dropped to a whisper, his eyes zoomed in on the small action of her licking her lips. Oh god, he missed them. He wanted to kiss her right there.

He was right. Of course, they both knew he was right, but what kind of person would she be if she told Finn that? Wouldn't that be cheating? She wasn't going to let someone else cheat on Puck, not after everything he has been through.

"Rachel Berry?" The speaker at the karaoke stage asked.

She scrambled from her seat, pulling her hand away from Finn's quickly and running over to the stage.

When she got up there, she smiled politely at the man who handed her the mic and asked what she wanted to sing. She told him in hushed words, then walked up to the mic stand and looked out into the bar, the eight or nine people in the room ignoring her. Except for Finn, obviously.

"My name is Rachel Berry, and I'm going to sing Fallin by Alicia Keys." She nervously looked at Finn, and by the emotionless look on his face, she knew he didn't know the song.

Honestly, it was a dumb idea for her to have done this in the first place. It was risky and stupid, but she couldn't help herself. When she had seen the song in the little book of songs, she was sure it was calling to her.

_**I keep on fallin, in love, with you**_

The words swept through her easily, lifting her from the funk she had recently been in because she was finally _singing. _It had been so long since she performed and she had missed it so much.

Finn, on the other hand, was falling. Falling in so many ways that this song seemed like his anthem. Falling harder in love, falling from his oblivious clouds where he had thought she might not have loved him back.

_**Sometimes I love you, sometimes you make me blue, **_

_**Sometimes I feel good, at times I feel used, **_

He winced at the way she looked at him, the hurt in her eyes. He hadn't intended to make her feel used. He loved her. He wanted to make her feel good always.

_**Lovin you darling makes me confused, **_

_**I keep on fallin in and out of love with you, **_

_**I never loved someone the way that I love you, **_

_**Oh I never felt this way, **_

She closed her eyes and tore through the rest of the lyrics, knowing she should be picturing Puck in her mind, but incapable of thinking of anyone other than Finn. Finn sleeping soundly in her bed, Finn carrying her when she got tired, Finn curled up with her watching movies, Finn, Finn, Finn.

When the song came to an end, Rachel walked away smiling to herself. She didn't know why she had given up on singing in the first place. It was her life, her baby. She had been nursing her voice since she was a small child, nothing could take that away from her.

The people around her clapped, and she blushed, finding her way back to Finn.

His arms were wrapped around her before she knew what was happening, his whispered compliment in her ear making her lower half heat up.

"You were amazing."

Rachel smiled and thanked him, ignoring his questioning look because _duh. He wanted to know who she was singing to._ But she couldn't answer that. Wouldn't allow herself to.

So, instead, they talked about lighter things as he walked her back to work. Where he lived now, his travels, how Blaine had a new boyfriend that she absolutely adored, how Mercedes was dating a stripper. Finn told her how Santana moved in with her girlfriend, Brittany, and that he now lived alone in a penthouse suite. Rachel had nearly forgotten how much money he had. He was so humble about it that it was easy to look passed.

He gave her a small hug and told her he'd see her later that night, to which Rachel's face lit up in recognition because in the heat of the moment, she had completely forgotten about it. And then he left, and Rachel groaned loudly with frustration. This wasn't how she saw this day going.

**Okay, okay so I understand you all might be frustrated about the whole Puckleberry thing, but just realize that all will work out. Probably. Also! If I get... Let's say 15 reviews between this chapter and the one I'll be posting sometime early tomorrow, I'll try to finish off the story and post the last chapter tomorrow as well.**

**So, remember! 15 reviews (or more, more is better) and hell, message me at finnhudsonauditorium . tumblr . com and make me extra happy. Have a wonderful day, my beautiful readers!**


	14. Chapter 14-Wine and Whine

**Bare with me here, but everything will make sense in the next chapter I swear.**

He knew it was wrong but Finn had this instinct to get closer to Puck again so that he could keep an eye on Rachel. He wasn't going to be the reason someone else cheated, especially not if it meant they'd be cheating on Puck again. But, if she seemed unhappy, he was going to be the first one to jump in and try to end it. He loved Puck, but the man was horrible when it came to commitment and he refused to let Rachel be the victim of his infidelity.

That's how he convinced himself to come and stand on their (he was sure his heart broke a second time at that thought) door step. The thought of keeping Rachel safe, even if it meant he had to be a friend, was the only reason he wasn't jumping right back into his car and leaving that place in the dust.

He'd be her best friend, someone she could confide in. More than anything, he just wanted to be close to Rachel again because even when he and Puck were best friends, she was also his closest friend.

Lifting his hand, he knocked on the door, his fingers trembling just a little bit because… How was he going to handle it? Seeing her things all over a house she shared with his ex-best friend.

"Coming!" Her beautiful voice danced through the wooden door, and he felt himself start to panic. Why was he here? This wasn't normal. He shouldn't be here. He should still be mad. He should still be trying to move on, not walking into her house and –

She opened the door, her brown hair flowing down her shoulders, a 1000 watt smile on her lips when she locked eyes with him. "Finn." He had become used to this being her way of greeting, just his name barely spoken from her soft lips.

"Hey, Rach." She felt her palms sweat when he gave her that half smirk, and she was breathless when she moved to the side to let him walk passed her. His cologne, the kind she used to tell him she loved when they just finished with some of their rather exhausting activities, wafted into her nose as he brushed by. She found herself closing her eyes and just smelling the air. "Are you coming?"

Her eyes popped back open and she smiled at him. "Yep!" She ran by, grabbing his arm and walking him further into the large house. It was obvious that they were both doing well for themselves as Rachel showed him around, pointing out small little things that she had what seemed like a thousand words for, but he didn't mind. He loved to hear her speak.

That was, of course, until they walked past something that Rachel brushed off and attempted to keep him from seeing it, which only made him more curious.

Until he saw it. Then he wished he had never seen it at all. Wished he could remove it from his memory and never see it again.

It seemed simple, really. Just a picture. There were a few of them on the walls, some of her, some of him. But this one, this was of them both. And they were happy. They were kissing and they were holding hands, and Finn felt his heart fall because this meant that he was probably not capable of taking back his place in her heart. Because she had no place left. She was whole.

"Finally! Now the party can get started!" Puck's voice rang throughout the room, sending both Rachel and Finn into a state of déjà vu.

Puck slipped a beer into Finn's hand before wrapping the now empty hand around Rachel waist and pulling her into him, clearly already slightly buzzed. "Hey! Your hands are freezing!" Rachel yelped, pulling the hand away. Finn hid the smile well, he thought.

"Sam told me about this trick with ice cubes, so this could be our way of working up to it," he told her suggestively, to which Rachel's eyes widened, and although it was quick, Finn saw her eyes flash over to him.

"You've been drinking, so we won't be doing anything tonight." She kissed him on the cheek, walking by as she grabbed Finn's arm again and pulled him along with her. He couldn't really contain the smile anymore. So, Rachel and Puck slept together. That… Well, that wasn't okay. Not at all. But, at the very least, he didn't have to worry about her doing it with him tonight.

Finn discretely placed his beer on a nearby table, leaving it as him and Rachel walked into the living room, which was the current home of a group of chatting people. "He's here!" Rachel said loudly, gaining everyone's attention.

"Hey, guys-"

"Finn?!" A shrill high pitched voice exclaimed, and Finn's eyes darted to the figure in the back who he knew without a doubt.

"Kurt? Why are you here?" He cocked his head to the side in confusion.

Instead of answering, Kurt lifted his hand, which was interlocked with Rachel's friend Blaine. He lifted his eyebrows, and Finn knew this must have been the man Kurt had been telling him about for months, which he had kind of began tuning out.

He supports Kurt and everything, but there's only so much fashion and romance talk Finn can handle. If he had to hear one more thing about Lewis Veeton, or whoever the hell Kurt always blabs about, he was going to throw himself out the window.

"Why are you here?" Kurt wondered, turning to look at Blaine, who gave him this look that Finn knew meant he had already told Kurt about him. And by the look on Kurt's face, they weren't all pleasant things. "Finn Christopher Hudson!" Kurt screeched, jumping up from his place and running to Finn, much to Rachel's astonishment.

"Wait, how do you two know each other?" She asked.

Kurt smiled politely over to her, which was weird because Kurt was usually a sassy piece of work. "We're brothers, sweetheart." And with that, he pulled Finn out of the room.

Finn was beginning to become dizzy with all of these sudden jerks from people pulling on him, but he kept that to himself.

"_You're _the atrocious mysterious ex-lover of Miss Rachel Berry's?!" Kurt shouted in his face, and Finn felt himself cowering, despite the fact that he was at least half a foot and 50 pounds bigger than his brother. "The one who made out with her best friend right before her wedding?! Does Carole know about this!?" The usually feminine boy was more intimidating than ever before.

"It wasn't like that!" Finn finally yelled back, rolling his eyes and sitting down on a nearby chair.

Kurt twiddled with his fingers awkwardly before taking a seat beside him. "Well, there's no need to shout." Finn shot Kurt a look and Kurt lifted his hands in defeat. "Then please, by all means, explain it to me. Because I've been getting an earful of hers and Blaine's side of the story for half a year now, and honestly it'd probably be refreshing to receive something different for a change."

Finn shrugged his shoulders, leaning back and allowing his head to recline against the wall. "It wasn't like I intended on cheating on her. I mean, Quinn's pretty and everything, but she's got nothing on Rachel." Kurt smiled at the look on his brother's face. Let him complain all he wants when Kurt mentions romance, but there was no doubt in Kurt's mind that Finn was in love. "I didn't even want to kiss her. I was actually about to take Rachel out to this really fancy restaurant she had told me she really liked, and…" Finn trailed off, and Kurt smacked his arm, making him yelp. "Ow, dude!"

"Continue! This has potential for being really interesting!"

Finn looked at Kurt with disbelief. How the hell could his brother find amusement in Finn's pain? But the other man only hit Finn's arm again, so he sighed and continued. "I was going to tell her that… I loved her, Kurt."

He heard his brother gasp. "Finn Hudson? In love? This from the man who got arrested with three Swedish prostitutes?"

Now Finn was the one to hit him, this time in the shoulder. "Shut up, dude! I'm done with all of that stuff, okay? Yeah, I love her." Love. Present tense. "And I planned on telling her. I didn't even know Quinn was near me because I was so out of mind in love with Rachel, waiting for her to come back to the lobby. But, then she was there and she started talking about not getting married unless I kissed her and gave her closure, and I seriously didn't know what else to do, so I gave in and said yes."

Kurt was leaned over resting dramatically on his folded over hands and listening to Finn. "So what happened?" As if he didn't already know.

"She saw us." Finn whispered, slipping into the painful memory before groaning loudly and slamming his head back against the wall, a thud loud and clear. "Then she broke up with me, and after I got my ass kicked at Puck and Quinn's wedding, and after Puck sent her flying into a table hurting her leg," he added in frustration, "she left to go stay with Blaine so that his family could take care of her, and I haven't heard from her since." Turning his head, he looked over at Kurt. "Well, until yesterday."

"Your life should be a Nicholas Sparks novel." Finn hit his brother again, who smacked the hand away. "But, seriously Finn. Why haven't you told her this?"

Finn dragged his hand down his face, slumping over in the chair, making the wood beneath him creak. "How can I do that to Puck? Again."

"True." Kurt spoke, and Finn heard the thoughtful tone in his voice, knowing he was trying to solve this. And while Finn was thankful and usually very willing to allow his brother to try and give him advice, he just wasn't sure he wanted to hear it on this particular subject.

"We should get back to the others, man." Finn said, standing up from his chair and waiting for Kurt to join him. They walked out, both passing the small brunette who hid behind the door, her mouth hanging.

Rachel stepped back into the room, her eyes immediately drawn to the giant who sat, discussing something with Mercedes boyfriend, Sam. The conversation must not have been that important, as Finn's eyes quickly left the other man's and landed on her, his smile growing.

What was she supposed to do? Finn hadn't actually done anything wrong two years ago. And he loved her. He was going to tell her loved her that night. Finn Hudson was in love with Rachel Berry.

And Rachel Berry was marrying Noah Puckerman.

She smiled back, sitting down beside a slightly secluded Kurt, who patted her thigh. "How are you doing?" Rachel knew instantly what he meant, and after two years, she was tired of lying. To herself, and to others. And so, she let herself tell the truth, even if it was only to one person.

"I don't know." She said honestly. "I love Puck, I do." She glanced around to make sure no one was within ear shot, before leaning in for good measure. "But, I don't think I'm _in love _with him." Kurt nodded, and she was pretty sure he already knew this information. "And I know he's not over Quinn. He and I talk, Kurt. We're close. Really close. He tells me about Quinn, and I tell him about Finn, and we both know we're only settling for each other. Our relationship is honest and truthful, but it's not really romantic. I'm pretty sure he's putting on a bravado right now about being the perfect fiancé just because Finn's here and he doesn't want me to get hurt. Or himself, I suppose." She felt Kurt's hand on her back. "But, I do care about him, and I'd never do anything to hurt him, and I know that if he and I were to break up, he'd go back to Quinn." Quinn, who was Rachel's friend now, technically. Although she hadn't spoken to her in months. "And I don't know if that's the right option for him."

"But, what about you, Rachel?" Kurt asked. Rachel looked at him, not really sure what he meant. "What's your right option? Don't you deserve to be happy?"

Rachel looked taken aback. No one had ever asked her that. Well, one person, but she didn't think her heart could handle thinking of him right then. "I am happy." She whispered unconvincingly.

Kurt gave her a sympathetic smile, shaking his head. "You and I both know you aren't the type to be happy marrying a man who has his heart in another woman's hand. Just like he won't be happy marrying someone who never got her heart back."

She opened her mouth to speak, but Noah walked into the room, a beer in one hand and a case of beer in the other. "Let's play spin the bottle!" He announced loudly.

Rachel stood up, catching his eye. "Noah, this is a dinner party. Not a college kegger." She winced at the look of anger in his eye.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, _Rach,_" Finn's fist clenched when Puck used his nickname for her. "But, this is the only kind of party I know. You were aware of that when you agreed to marry me." Everyone looked particularly uncomfortable, but none more than Rachel, who only stopped speaking and sat down.

Puck gathered everyone in a circle, handing out drinks and making everyone feel just like they were in high school. He, on the other hand, appeared as if Santa had just visited and dropped off a room full of topless strippers. Rachel could see he had something to prove by doing this, and she was afraid of what.

"Alright, bitches." Finn looked over to Rachel who was looking down at her hands, trying to hide the frown on her lips. He wanted to get up and knock the shit out of Puck for doing this to her, especially in front of guest. "This isn't just spin the bottle, it's Spin the Bottle of Truth or Dare." When everyone glanced at him, giving him weird looks, he shrugged. "The name is still coming together, but whatever. So the rules are basically who ever spins the bottle has to pick truth or dare, and whoever the bottle lands on either asks them for the truth, or gives them a dare."

"Can we count out any sexual stuff? Because I know this might seem ironic with my given profession, but I'm not really comfortable sexing up my girlfriend in front of you guys." Sam spoke up, making a few people laugh.

Puck swigged back some more beer, his eyes shifting from side to side in consideration. "Alright, no actual sexual stuff. But like kissing, that's still in." Sam hesitantly nodded, looking at Mercedes, who kissed him in response. "Hey, not till the game starts!" They broke apart, and Puck lay down a bottle. But not just any bottle, a wine bottle that she and Blaine had gotten from her fathers for her 23rd birthday. It was the same age as she was, and she had been waiting to open it until her wedding night, or possibly her first Tony Award, but that opportunity had been ripped away when she saw that the bottle was empty.

"Noah Puckerman, what the hell did you do?!" Rachel yelled, looking up at the man who glared back at her, downing another gulp of beer. "You knew how important that wine was to me!"

"Makes sense. You know, since you love everything else that has to do with wine. How you _whine _about the dishes not being clean, or how _whine _about not orgasming during sex," Rachel threw her hands up to cover her face in embarrassment, and Finn looked over at her, jumping up and getting in Puck's face.

"Lay off, bro! You're acting like an asshole right now, and she doesn't deserve to be treated like that!" Finn shouted, making Puck laugh. Finn was about to tear him a new one, but was cut off when Puck shoved him down by his shoulders, making Finn land in the spot in which he had been previously sitting.

Puck took his own spot in the circle, the only one drinking from his beer bottle. "Let's start this bad boy up." He muttered, spinning the wine bottle.

The bottle came to a stop in front of Santana, who had been uncharacteristically silent tonight. Finn had only spoken to her a few times, but there had definitely been something on her mind. "Truth or Dare, Puckhead?" She sneered.

Rachel watched as Puck smirked at the woman. "Dare, obviously."

"I dare you to get off your dumb ass and go kiss the woman you love so we can all get out of this damn house before you go all Bates Motel on us." Santana gestured towards Rachel before folding her arms gracefully over her chest.

"Can't." Puck said, this cheeky smile on his lips that Rachel knew meant no good.

Mercedes looked at him with amusement. "And why is that?"

"She's not here."

**Oooh, cliffhanger. Puck's being a dick, but all will be explained soon. Review! Message me on tumblr, all that good stuff. Have a wonderful day, guys.**


	15. Chapter 15-This is Where We Stop

**So, this is the final chapter guys. It's been fun, and I'm so thankful for all of you who have kept up with this story, and even those of you new comers. Thank you, truly. **

**Here we go...**

Rachel could not have been more embarrassed if she had worn a chicken costume and tap danced for them. Of course, _they _had talked about him still loving Quinn. _They _as in Puck and Rachel. Not all of these people. Not all of her friends.

She looked down into her lap, tears dripping off of her cheeks. She carefully construed a fake yawn, using the opportunity to wipe the betraying liquid away.

Santana tried to jump up, but the blonde girl who had introduced herself to Rachel with the sentence, "Is this where the yellow brick road leads?", grabbed her arms and kept her from pouncing.

"You're such a moron, jackass!" Santana yelled. "Don't you remember what that little blonde bimbo did to-"

"Next person." Puck said, looking over to Blaine, who was looking at Kurt with apologetic eyes, then to Rachel with sympathy, and back to Puck with rage.

Blaine glared at the man as he spun the bottle, mainly out of fear of what would happen if they all said no, and was neither interested, nor concerned when his bottle landed on Sam.

"Truth." Blaine spat, eyes still on Puck.

"Uh, alright." Sam looked around, scratching his chin before he looked like a light bulb went off in his head. "Is it true that you've always been gay?"

Blaine stopped his scowling, only so that he could look at Sam with furrowed eyebrows and squinted eyes because _seriously?_

"Yes."

Sam seemed satisfied with that answer, and so they continued this game for at least another half hour, everyone giving small dares, to which Puck would make snarky comments about how lame they all were, or truths that were rather obvious because honestly no one was in the mood for this sort of thing.

Finn's turn, he had landed on Mercedes, who threw her hands out in frustration at the idiocy of it all and basically yelled, "Truth or dare?!"

Finn rubbed the back of his neck, his heart still beating violently in his chest as he thought about Puck. "Dare…?"

"I dare you to…" Mercedes looked around, then found her answer and stopped. "Shake hands with Puckerman."

"No way," Puck immediately said.

"Come on, Pea Brain. This is your game." Santana reminded him with a smirk.

"Fine." Finn said, standing up and waiting patiently in the middle of the circle with his hand outstretched for Puck to take.

The tension was high and the room felt sweltering as everyone was curious as to what would happen, considering Puck still hadn't budged in his seat. Rachel looked between them and recalled how awful it had felt to have Finn and Jesse vying for her attention. But this, this was different. She wasn't sure what Puck was fighting for. It definitely wasn't her. He would kill to be just friends with Rachel and have Quinn again.

After a minute, Finn withdrew his outstretched hand and sat back down, scowling at Puck, who looked utterly not phased.

And so, the game continued.

The absurdity continued for several rounds, until the inevitable happened. On Rachel's third turn, her bottle spun around and around, slowing to a stop before the asshole who had been targeting her with his drunken sass all night. He smiled at her. "Truth or dare?"

Frankly, she was scared to even speak. That look made her shiver, and not in a good way. But, she was almost positive that saying truth was going to lead to something horrible, and so she chose dare. Finn was watching Puck with growing disdain as the man jumped up quickly, exiting the room.

"Thank god." Kurt exhaled. "What the hell is even going on? I feel like I'm in a bad slasher movie and Puck's about to cut the power."

Artie spoke up, lifting a hand. "Amen."

Santana shook her head. "I've never seen him this bad before. Did you do anything, Berry?" She asked, and Rachel was so incredibly thankful that her tone wasn't accusing. She couldn't have handled it.

Rachel gently shook her head. "Not that I know of." She whispered. A warm hand clasped her back, and when she looked over, she saw Finn leaned behind Tina and Mike, stretching to offer her comfort. Rachel let a small smile grace her features. Then, his face was gone. Everything was gone, actually. Something was covering her head. She yanked it off, seeing Puck standing in the doorway looking right at her.

She then looked at the fabric in her hand, her stomach dropping. Had she said that truth would have been a worse option? She lied.

Rachel stared down at the grey "Property of McKinley Titans" shirt she had taken from Finn what felt like a lifetime ago. How did Puck find it? She had hidden it carefully behind all of her old Barbra Streisand magazines in their closet.

"I dare you to put that on and kiss Finn." Puck said, and she could tell it had been rehearsed. He had wanted to do this the entire night. This was why he had been so hostile.

"Noah, no. Stop it." She told him calmly but sternly. "I get it, you're upset that I kept this. But… But…" She didn't know what to say. There was no excuse. Sometimes she just wore it because she wanted to be close to Finn somehow, but how could she say that. "I don't know why I kept it."

"I do," he said quickly, pointing at the shirt. "Put it on. Now, Rachel."

"No."

He stood up, walking over to her, grabbing the shirt and throwing it at Finn, who caught it right before it hit his face. "Is this yours? Because it sure as hell isn't mine!"

"Oh, please Puckerman. As if you don't have old girlfriends shirts lying around somewhere." Santana rolled her eyes at his antics. "Stop trying to act as if that is what is making you act like this. None of us are buying it."

Puck glared at the girl, then back at Rachel. She saw something flash behind his rage. Guilt. "Noah, what's going on?"

"Rachel, baby, my wonderful fiancé." Puck looked down at her, and she stared back at him. He was acting insane. "I want you to tell me that you love me more than Finn."

Finn's eyes finally left the man in front of him to look at the grief stricken woman a few feet away. Her eyes were red and he saw tear tracks on her cheeks, but he didn't think he could speak to comfort her right then. He wanted to hear her answer.

"I do love you Noah," she whispered, and Finn wasn't sure whether to wince or cry out in happiness because she didn't say she loved him more. "Isn't that enough? Isn't it enough that I'm trying?"

"That isn't what I asked you, Rachel. Which I guess is an answer, right?" He snapped back, turning around and walking out of the room once more, but this time he returned before anyone could speak. In his hand, he held a picture, and when she looked closer, she saw what it was. And if you looked close enough, you could see the outline of a small, developing child. "Quinn's pregnant. It's mine." He took one last look around the room, his eyes lingering on Rachel, who slumped over, sobs overtaking her, and then he left, slamming the front door.

The room was quiet then.

No one knew what to do. How to react. This clearly wasn't what anyone expected.

Quiet sobs began to emerge from Rachel as she slumped over. He could have told her in private. He could have told her more politely and she would have understood. But to do this in front of everyone she loved, to make all of them look at her in pity, that was horrible. That was too much.

Blaine and Finn took their spots beside Rachel then, each one trying to comfort her, but Kurt quickly grabbed his boyfriend and pulled him away. "Let Finn do this." He whispered, still yanking the man although he fought him tooth and nail.

"That son of a bitch is grass! Who the hell does he think he is?" Santana yelled, waiting for her girlfriend to grab her purse. When they were ready to leave, Santana gave Rachel a quick, very surprising hug and left without a word. Tina whispered soft words of sympathy, and Mercedes said something about how she could do better. Artie gave her a hug, not saying anything as he left. Blaine and Kurt told her they loved her, and that they were only a few minutes away if she needed them, and one more "I love you" from each of them, before exiting, the house quiet except for Rachel's crying and Finn's worried breaths.

It was over three hours before one of them spoke. Rachel had long ago curled up in his arms, and was now just breathing with him, unaware of his own increased pace.

"Rach?" Finn asked, his back leaned up against the wall in the living room.

Rachel shifted on his chest, pulling away a little to look up at him. "Yes, Finn?"

He was so happy she didn't sound disgusted when she said his name, like she had when she last spoke to him two years before. "He doesn't deserve you."

"Noah is a lovely man," she said quietly, and Finn felt his anger began to stir. Puck sure as hell didn't deserve all of this forgiveness, he knew that much. "I just don't think he and I were meant to be."

Finn looked down, his mouth agape. "Then… Why were you marrying him?"

"Because I couldn't marry you." She said before she could think.

"What-"

"Noah and I were both well aware that we were not the other's first choice, but we also care about each other, and decided 'why not?' I was getting older, and he needed someone to care for him when he got emotional over Quinn, as I needed when it came to you, and so we were each other's rock." Rachel bit her lip, squeezing her hand tighter over Finn's shirt. "I guess inside I was aware of his cheating. Maybe not physically, but most certainly emotionally." She felt the tears start swell around the rim of her eyes. "I suppose we were both cheating in that aspect."

Rough hands gently clasped her face, pulling her up to look into those eyes that were so wild and restless, just like nature. "Do you still love me?"

Rachel felt herself sob, the tears falling out of her eyes and landing in large splatters on his pants. "I don't think I'll ever stop, Finn."

He wanted to kiss her right then, and he would have, had she not stood up and held her hand out for him. He eagerly followed her, as he always would, and remained speechless as she pulled him out of the house. It was easy to see that she didn't want to be there, where both her and Puck's stuff lay everywhere, and he respected that.

Rachel held his hand as he walked her to his car, opening the door for her and practically skipping over to his side with glee because _she was finally his._

"Take me to your place?" She asked in whisper, and he smiled at the road ahead of him.

They remained silent for most of the car ride. Rachel watched the stripes on the road pass by as she thought about what she was doing. She was going to Finn's house, and what they were going to do was clear to her, and she was sure it was clear to him as well. Did she really want to go through with this? Even though her and Puck just got out of an engagement?

Rachel looked over at Finn, his arm laying over the length of the car to hold her hand in her lap. Finn, the man who was a giant to her. Finn, the guy who shattered her heart.

Who's to say he won't do it again?

But, then she thought about it more. Thought about how alive she had felt when she was with Finn, about how he made her stomach knot up like she was a child with a crush, about how he took her body to places of pleasure she never thought possible.

Yes, she wanted to do this.

It would be a pleasure to have her heart broken by one Finn Hudson. As long as he loved her until then, as long as he made her feel alive for even the smallest bit of time, she'd gladly take the pain.

Rachel squeezed his hand, smiling to herself, lost in thoughts of happiness and love, when Finn blurted, "You never let me tell you what happened that night."

That caught her attention, the happy thoughts retreating to the back of her mind. "What night?"

"When I called you a few months after you left." He replied, not looking at her. He was right, she had never let him tell her. Was it the same thing that Quinn had been trying to tell her about?

"What happened?"

Finn released Rachel's hand, moving it to come up and grip the steering wheel. Rachel knew he was preparing himself for what he was about to tell her, and her heart sunk when she thought of the possibilities. It had to have been something very bad to make him cry. "I had been driving home that night from work, it was around 11 pm, when Kurt's father, my step dad Burt called me."

Rachel nodded, telling him to go on, and although he continued, she knew it was on his own time and not because of her.

"He was crying and panicking and I didn't know what the hell was going on. I automatically assumed that something had happened to Kurt, so I got my car going in that direction, but when I asked if Kurt was alright, he said he was fine." Sucking in deeply, Finn's chest heaved a little. Rachel could see the tears rim his eyes. "I'll never forget what he said to me. He said, "Finn, you need to get here as soon as possible. We have some bad news." I begged for him to tell me over the phone so I wouldn't have to wait, but he didn't want me driving after I had heard."

Remaining silent, Rachel put her hand on his shoulder and rubbed in comfort. She wasn't sure what Finn was about to say, but she knew it was going to be something atrocious.

"When I got there, Burt told me the news." Rachel realized how much she had really fucked up by not staying on the phone with him that night as Finn continued, "He told me there had been an accident. That my mom had been driving down the road after picking me up some socks. She always told me that I needed to get more socks, but I had said plenty of times that my old ones were fine." Finn shook his head in thought. "Apparently there was some drunk driver driving behind an 18 wheeler and tried to pass it when my mom was driving passed in the opposite lane." Rachel told Finn to pull over, and after a few minutes he did, the car coming to a less than gentle stop. Her chest was constricting as she watched tears streaming down his boyish face. "Head on collision, she died instantly."

"Oh my god, Finn." Rachel reached over, pulling him to her. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything." She felt him begin to sob, barely controlling herself from succumbing to the tears as well. Not that she had really knew Carole, but to see Finn in this state… But, no. She needed to stay strong. For Finn.

"I can't even remember the last thing I told her… I don't think it was I love you." He wrapped his long arms around Rachel and pulled her closer to him. "I didn't even tell her I love you."

Rachel brought her hand up, running her fingers through his hair. "Finn, baby, I'm so sorry I didn't stay on the phone with you that night. I had no idea." He opened his mouth to forgive her, but Rachel stopped him. "No, I should have let you speak."

Finn let himself cry a bit more, but soon pulled himself together, wiping at the tears that made his eyes puffy. Rachel smiled reassuringly, brushing off a tear that he had missed, only to find his salty lips on her own.

It was soft and chaste, but still beautiful and electrifying. She closed her eyes, breathing him in when he pulled back. No more words were exchanged, and Finn quickly grabbed her hand, glancing at her like, well in his less than graceful words from years before, like "the sun shined out of her ass" before putting the car in drive and pulling back onto the road.

Rachel squeezed his hand with a smile he saw turning up her mouth before biting her lip and leaning on the door.

They got to his apartment building in record time, Finn pulling into the valet area and slipping out of his seat, once more running over to let Rachel out before the valet could. She was beaming brightly, grasping his hand she had held for nearly forty-five minutes like she had been dying to have him touch her.

Maybe she had.

The walk to his apartment was a blur, people and face didn't matter as they passed. All that mattered was Finn and Rachel. He even ignored his hunger because he only had one thing in mind right then, everything else later. If Rachel was willing, of course.

The door closed, and before he could even turn on the lights, her lips were on his, powerful and dominating. He didn't fight her, nor did he want to. She was everything he had been missing these last few years, and now that she was here, he saw no reason not to take full advantage of the situation.

Rachel was surprised at herself for seeming so… Needy, but she and Noah were over and she had no reason to feel guilty. In fact, she didn't think they had ever truly began.

Her small fingers dug into Finn's shoulder blades pulling him down further into the searing kiss. Her stomach burned for him, this needy feeling reaching through her and grasping for some sort of release. A release she hadn't found from someone other than herself in nearly a year. She wanted him. She needed him.

"Finn," she moaned through swollen lips, and Finn only responded by kissing her harder. Clearly he wasn't doing enough if she still wanted to talk. But he felt her open her mouth to speak yet again, and so he pulled away.

"I love you." He told her, the weight he had been carrying for two years lifting from his burdened heart.

Instead of the shock he had been expecting, she kissed him again, smiling before saying, "I know."

"How?" He asked, finding his tongue in her mouth after.

She released him, then bit down on his bottom lip, her arms crossing behind his neck. "I heard you and Kurt earlier. I'm sorry I didn't believe you, Finn. I'm so sorry." Finn shook his head, pulling her up as he swung her around his waist, roughly crashing against her mouth. He didn't want her to apologize. He didn't even want her to think about it.

They managed to make their way to his bedroom in the dark, his hands finding purchase on her breast, and he was sure that last two years had been just a bad nightmare because she was just the same as she had been before, and he still found her to be the most amazing thing in the world.

Her moans made his pants two sizes too small, but when she started to pull away again, Finn wasn't sure he made her as excited as she was leading him to believe. "Finn," she breathed airily, and Finn bit down on her neck, sending her into a state of oblivion. "I want you to fuck me."

What? Finn's lips slowed down on her skin. Rachel had never spoke to him like that before, but holy shit it was hot. They usually made love, even before they realized it, but he understood the urgency. It had been too long, and the sweet parts could come later, but right now, they both just wanted to be with each other.

Finn growled in agreement into her ear, shoving his hand under the fabric of her dress, tearing down the thin underwear. He didn't bother taking it off fully, carrying her over to sit her on the back of the love seat on the side of the room, bed forgotten. Her small fingers quickly unbuttoned his pants, kicking them and his boxers down with her toes.

She threw her head back when his fingers rubbed between her legs, her wetness coating his hand. "Does anyone else make you like this?" He asked, teeth grazing the skin on her shoulder. Rachel shook her head furiously.

"Only you." She breathed into the air above his head.

Screw the foreplay. Finn attacked her lips, distracting her from when he harshly sank into her, his lower half slamming against her own. "I don't want anyone to ever touch you like this." He groaned out, pulling himself out of her, only to slap their skin together again when he buried himself back into her welcoming heat.

"Oh god, never." She was mewling, his hand on the small of her back the only reason she wasn't falling over the chair. He lifted her leg, laying it over his right shoulder, pounding himself into her over and over again.

"You're mine, Rach."

"Yes, Finn! I'm yours. Ah, ah, just yours."

"And I'm yours."

"Ugh, faster, please, faster!" Screams of pleasure echoed in the large apartment. "**Yes! **You're mine, all mine."

This. This was fucking. Her dress bunched over her waist, hair in tangles and curse words fueling him on. This was when Rachel was most beautiful, when she was screaming from her swollen lips, sweat percolating her sun kissed skin.

He bent down a little further, angling into her so that he'd hit that spot that made her toes curl and the stars play behind her eyes. "Finn! I-I-"

"Do it. Do it for me, Rach," he whispered to her, and Rachel shrieked, her body shaking violently as the orgasm thrashed around inside of her.

Finn continued to collide crudely with her tiny body. She was white knuckle gripping the chair beneath her, shoving herself further onto Finn. Her first orgasm slowly fading away, but she could already feel the beginning of a new one, and the very thought of having that sensation wrecking her again made her even more forceful.

"Finn, I love you." Her whines brought a smile to him, and he leaned down, kissing her neck.

"I love you too."

He gripped her waist, pulling her off of the chair and laying her down on the bed. Her tiny legs wrapped around his torso, yanking down to deepen the penetration. They moaned in unison, and Rachel wrapped a hand around his neck to bring his mouth to her own, her tongue sliding easily into his. They both bounced with each thrust, and Rachel reveled in the build of tension she got from her nipples rubbing harshly against her dress as Finn lay on top of her.

He ground her into the soft fabric, screwing her brains out in only the way that Finn ever could, and she knew she was so close, but she wanted him to reach that peak with her. "Finn, oh baby," the pet name made him grunt, "baby, let go for me."

His body betrayed him as he tried to have endurance, all of his muscles tensing up as he felt her inner walls milking him dry, shouting her name into the night. He looked down at her face, her mouth opening and eyes shut tightly. Her hair was on the bunch up blanket beside her head, and he bent down, giving her a chaste kiss in the heat of passion because she really was the most beautiful sight in the world.

When she finally came down, Finn pulled out of her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into his side. They both were breathing heavily, bodies sweating, but neither of them were sure they ever felt so complete.

"I can't stay there." Rachel said what felt like hours later, letting her hand play over his shirt.

Finn's fingers touched her hair, smiling at her words. "Come stay with me."

Rachel lifted up, looking down at the man who just brought her to heaven, not once, but twice in just a few minutes. But, even if he hadn't been able to, she still would love him. She hadn't been lying when she said she would always love him. "Finn, I couldn't intrude." She told him, looking at him as if she thought it was a bad idea.

Laughter erupted from him, and he leaned forward, kissing her on her pouting lips. "I don't know how you're so insecure, Rachel. I would literally _pay _you to come and stay with me. You're far from protruding."

"Intruding." She corrected.

Finn felt the sides of his stomach begin to burn in the best way possible from his laughter because _of course _Rachel would still correct him even after they had just been on cloud 9 and she was sweating with her underwear around her ankles. Of course.

His laughter ceased when she kissed him back, crawling on top of him and grinding herself down on him. "Don't laugh at me." She whined.

"I guess that's a yes?" He sighed happily.

"That's a maybe," she breathed into his ear.

"Rachel, are you ready?"

Looking in the mirror, Rachel smiled. She nodded to her reflection, then spun around, opening the door to Blaine. "I'm ready."

She walked out with him, seeing both of her father's at the end of the hall. "Sweetheart, you look amazing," Leroy said, his smile bright.

"Oh, daddy. I've shown you the dress before!" Rachel said, hugging him.

He grinned down at her, and Hiram quickly got in a hug before Blaine gave her a kiss on the cheek, walking out of the door before them. Rachel let her father's place both of her hands in their arms, giving her small smiles as they waited for the music to play.

When the music began, all three started their trek down out of the hallway, and once passed the door, Rachel's eyes found Finn at the front of the room. He had been fiddling with his tie, but once she walked in, the crooked clothing item was long forgotten. His mouth hung open and she smiled at him shyly. It was like they were teenagers or something, embarrassed of their affection.

She walked down the aisle, her heart soaring while she gave quick grins to her friends, even Puck and Quinn who held their child a few rows from the front. She was happy for them. If it wasn't for either of them, who knows where Finn and Rachel would be? And their daughter Beth was the most precious thing on Earth.

Hiram was crying when he released her, hugging her tightly and only letting go when Leroy pulled him off, squeezing his daughters hand softly and walked towards their place in the front row. Rachel looked back at Finn, seeing Kurt smiling with Blaine behind them, silver bands on both of their hands.

She strode forward, stepping onto the inclined floor that Finn waited on, conveying a quick smile to Tina and Mercedes, before placing all of her attention on her groom. She reached forward quickly, fixing his tie, then smiled up at him and giggled when he winked. "I love you," he whispered quietly as Burt walked towards them.

"I love you too, baby."

"Alright, let's get this show on the road. The bride's got places to be." Burt announced, standing in between the both of them. He spoke the traditional words of matrimony and all of that good stuff that usually put people to sleep, but it had to be done. Finn was sure he hadn't heard a word he said. He hadn't paid attention to anything besides Rachel since she stepped into the room.

"Who gives this women in marriage away to this man?" Burt asked, drawing Finn from his daze.

"Her family and friends gathered here today do." Leroy says, hugging a crying Hiram closer.

Burt smiles at the man, then turns back to the rest of the crowd and continues. Finn just watches Rachel as she smiles, her fingers nervously gripping her beautiful white dress. Though, isn't the white dress only for people who wait till marriage to have sex? If so, Rachel shouldn't be wearing white. In fact, considering what they did all last night, and even that morning, she should probably be wearing something much darker.

Burt says something about their vows, and Finn quickly spits out the rehearsed words that Rachel had told him he needed to write privately, but he had already recited them to her when they were making love the night before, and she him, so the effect was kind of lessened during the wedding. Oops.

"Do you, Finn, take Rachel to be your wife- to live together in holy matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her," what kind of questions were these? Of course, of course, of course. Why did they even need to ask? "honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"Of course," Finn said absentmindedly, seeing Rachel glare at him. "I mean, I do!" Everyone around them burst into laughter, including a now red faced Rachel.

Burt looked to Rachel, and she smiled sweetly up at him. "Do you, my dearest Rachel, take Finn to be your husband- to live together in holy matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?" Now Rachel understood Finn's response.

"Of course," she whispered to Finn, a smile on her face. "I do." She spoke louder, this time for everyone else to hear.

Burt glanced over at Kurt, who looked to Blaine, who glared back at Kurt, who finally shrugged helplessly to Finn. Finn sent daggers in Kurt's direction, but a soft comforting hand on his arm brought him back to sanity. He looked over to see Leroy standing beside him, holding out a ring. Finn hugged him quickly, watching as the father wiped a tear from his face, then looked back at Rachel. She couldn't help but erupt in pure childish laughter when Finn slipped the ring on her finger.

She then did the same to him, lifting his hand and kissing it before sitting it between them, their fingers intertwined.

"May you always share with each other," Burt stopped when he glanced down at his watched, "crap." Rachel and Finn looked at him in panic. "We're running out of time. Be one heart, one mind, blah blah, love together, blah, pledge love and family by giving and receiving ring, you are now joined. You have pronounced yourself husband and wife, but remember to always be each other's best friend." Burt squinted his eyes. "Ah, here we go. And so, by the power vest in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you man and wife- and may your days be good and long upon the Earth." Burt smirked down at the two of them, watching them gaze into each other's eyes like love struck teenagers.

Burt shoved Finn's shoulder. "What are you doing, kid? Kiss your bride."

Finn smirked, leaning down and wrapping his arm around Rachel, his wife, and kissing her. She moaned quietly, her fingers digging into the front of his suit.

"Enough of that, now! We have a Tony's Award Show to get to!" Kurt yelled in excitement, pushing passed them and breaking their lips apart.

Finn glared at the retreating boy, but Rachel grabbed his hand and pulled him along behind her as she took off down the aisle once more, this time as Finn's wife.

Burt stopped them after a moment, a smile on his face. He pulled Rachel into him, kissing her forehead and telling her how happy he was that both Finn and Rachel finally got off their asses and got married. Rachel kissed his cheek and stepped to the side to let Burt and Finn has time alone.

"I'm so proud of you," Burt said, looking at Finn.

"Thanks, Burt. I couldn't have done it without you."

Burt shook his head, his voice starting to choke up. "Nah, don't give me all the credit for you being the man you are. Your mom taught you how to be the great guy I'm looking at right now. I just said the words to help you get married."

He felt his heart squeezing at the mention of his mom. Finn couldn't speak.

"You know, she'd be so proud of you. She loved you so much." Burt continued. Finn was sure he was about to let the tears flow, and Burt looked like he might join him, but the older man quickly grabbed his step son and dragged him into a hug, clapping him on the back. "And I love you too. Now, go on. You've got one hell of a woman waiting."

Finn glanced over his shoulder to see Rachel smiling back at him from across the lawn. He smiled and said goodbye to Burt before quickly running over to her side, kissing her passionately on the lips and earning a few whistles.

Everyone was already running out, each heading to Burt's to watch the Tony's on a projector in the back yard, while Finn, Kurt, and Blaine left with Rachel to go to the actual award show that was beginning in one hour.

"Are you nervous?" Finn asked when they reached the limo.

Rachel glanced back at him over her shoulder, smiling as she and Kurt pulled off the larger part of her dress. When she was done, it was smooth and white on her skin, much more appropriate for an award ceremony. "Not anymore." He felt her tug on his hand, pulling him into the seat beside her.

"Good, you're going to win." Finn leaned over, once again kissing her, but this time he tugged on her lip as he leaned back. "I believe in you."

And he was right. Somehow, Finn had always been right when it came to Rachel.

**The end.**

**I finally finished a fic for the first time! ****I hope you enjoyed it. This, like I said, was the final chapter, but it doesn't have to be the end. I was considering writing a new fic about Finn being a UFC fighter and meeting Rachel after one of his championship matches, how does that sound?**

**As always, review, and message me on tumblr if you'd like. Have a wonderful day guys, it's been awesome writing for you. **


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